Royal Bloodline
by Airezi
Summary: The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars," Mufasa, ruler of Pride Rock, once told his son. But who were these kings, and how did their reigns shape the Pride Lands? Two members of the royal family will journey to find the truth.
1. Land of Change

_A/N- (all non-original characters copyright Disney, etc.) Ok, so I have been very, very excited for this story for a long time. So many class periods spent mapping out the plot, writing out drafts of the stories, thinking about character development instead of studying oh well. Anyways, as the short description says this story follows the two children of Scar, Kiveh and Kala, as they uncover the history of the pride lands rulers. Every chapter or so will contain a story of one of the kings told in a completely different style. I am really looking for feedback on how each style works so please mention in your review how you liked it. Also, the tales of the kings will not be told in chronological order so feel free to PM me if you get confused or see any discrepancies/plot holes. Thank you in advance and enjoy-_

**Royal Bloodline**

* * *

**Chapter 1- Land of Change:**

"Let me see them," Scar ordered with an eager breath as he pushed past Sarabi and entered the cave, making out the shadowy form of a lioness lying just inside the archway.

"Meet your son and daughter," Sarafinas' tone was full of mockery and Scar felt the first twinges of unease in his paws. The mother lioness nudged the cubs forward to where the light was a little better.

"NO!!" the male gasped, green eyes open wide in fear as he took a step back, staring at the cubs. The newborn male was the perfect golden color of the sun as it traced a path across the savannah sky. His eyes already open, wide and curious as he pawed at his sister. In return she let out a small squeak, awkwardly pinning him under her so that the cream of her coat blended a little with the gold of his. The twins were perfect miniatures of a young Simba and Nala—their playful actions hinting that they might match the older couple in temperament as well as looks.

"Yes Scar," Sarafina purred with cruel happiness. "Perhaps you shouldn't have been so quick to disown Ziras' cub as your heir. Or will you be happy to name my newest son crown prince, knowing how much he shall remind the pride of your late nephew?"

"Why you little!" the red lion growled furiously raising a paw to slash at her. But Sarafina merely laid her head on the stone near her two cubs and stared at him with blank eyes. The male growled again, a battle raging in his head. Then the red lion turned and stomped crossly outside of the cave, gnashing his teeth in fury.

* * *

"You're it!" laughed the female lion cub as she tagged one of her playmates. Eyes bright and happy she danced away as he tried to tag her back, growling playfully.

"I'll get you Kala!" the gray hued cub challenged, pouncing at her. The young lioness screamed in delight, then turned tail and ran from him.

"Look out Kiveh, he's coming!" she shouted to her twin. The gold male jumped up and joined her, side by side the two cubs raced over the sun heated rocks, green eyes bright in excitement.

Nuka followed in their wake calling, "You two better watch out!" Kala screeched again, daring a glance over her shoulder.

"Run faster Kiveh!" the little lioness giggled, nudging him with a shoulder. From the promontory of Pride Rock Scar watched the trio of cubs as they raced in circles.

_My children,_ the king thought fondly, an unusual smile adorning his angular face as he watched them playing. _Some day this kingdom will be yours…_ the red lion frowned as his gaze shifted to the increasingly barren lands. The trees and grasses drooped from the scarce water, almost nothing green was in sight. _And hopefully so much more…._

* * *

"Rarw!" the gold colored cub growled as he tackled the larger hyena, knocking the scavenger to the ground in a puff of dust.

"Good, good," Shenzi praised, nodding at Kiveh as he trotted back over. "You've got some natural talent kid, give me five!" The six-month-old cub eagerly slapped at her upraised paw, while Banzai grumbled behind them, rubbing his head.

"My turn! My turn!" Kala commanded, jumping in place with excitement.

"Sure thing chica," Banzai responded quickly, removing his paw from his head. "And it's Shenzis' turn to be the target!"

"Say what!" the female hyena burst out, making the others laugh as the little lioness crouched down into the pouncing position, eager grin on her light furred face.

* * *

"Nala you're back!" Kala exclaimed, springing to her paws and running over to rub heads with her older sister. For a moment the two touched noses, looking for the entire world like past and future versions of one another. Then Nala broke the image, taking a step forward and looking over the thin pride of lionesses with determined eyes.

"It's time," she said simply, shifting her blue eyes from one female to the next.

"You found someone to help?" one of the pride sisters breathed, her face lighting up in hope.

"Simba…Simba's alive," Nala choked out, crystal colored tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Kiveh eyed her curiously, unsure whether the tears stemmed from happiness or hurt.

"Nala…" he started to question, getting to his paws and jerking his head to knock the beginnings of a mane from his eyes.

"Come on you two," Sarafina interrupted, catching Kalas' attention with a brush from her tail. "In here, wait until I come back," she ordered firmly, directing the yearling cubs into a small alcove.

"What's going on mom?" Kala voiced, her head cocked a little to one side.

"The true king has returned," was all her mother said, giving the cream colored cub a firm nudge into the shadowy cave. "Drastic changes are on the way."

* * *

"You dare to show your face in my presence?" Simba roared so loudly the loose gravel on the ramp up to Pride Rock rattled with the shock wave.

"I've only come for my children," Zira replied coolly, fixing her eyes on the furious lion king. Simba roared again, only the lionesses standing firmly by his side kept him from charging her in anger. The elder one whispered in his ear until Simba relaxed a fraction.

"Why should we allow you your children Zira?" Sarabi spoke with both contempt and disgust as she turned to face the other female. "You can't honestly think that you deserve them after what you did to my grandcub?" Zira let out a small snarl, unsheathing her claws as the old queen spoke.

"Nuka!" she hissed finally, darting a glance to where her eldest cub sat. "Come up here!" With a yelp the scrawny, gray half grown scrambled away from his peers, stumbling over to the top of the ramp.

"Yes mother?" he squeaked, obviously terrified of being the center of attention.

"Don't be scared dear," Zira crooned sweetly, roughly rubbing his scrawny mane with a paw. "I was merely following Scar's wishes," the smirking lioness addressed Simba again. "His orders were very clear that it was my son who would be the next king."

"You have no right to the throne!" Simba lashed out verbally, growling again as he stood before her with tensed muscles, ready to spring.

"You may think that, but I do not!" Zira retorted, glaring at the large male again. "And neither do my children! Nuka!" She growled his name commandingly and the gangly youngster flinched. "Who was your father?"

"Sss…sss..scar.." he stuttered out quietly.

"And was Scar not king of the Pride Lands?"

"Yes…"

"Doesn't that make you a prince and entitled to rule?" Nuka literally shook as the adults all stared at him.

"Yes?" his response was more a question then statement, and he looked nervously up at his mother to see if he'd answered correctly.

Zira nodded, watching Simba with a mad glint in her eyes. The lion king let out a furious roar that caused the acacia trees to tremble and all the animals of the pride lands look towards the lions' home in fear.

* * *

"Where do you think they're going to go?" A half-grown lioness asked the male sitting beside her.

"How should I know Kala?" He scolded, glaring over at his sister as he used a front paw to flatten the unruly red mane that adorned the top of his head.

"I was just asking Kiveh," she grumbled back, looking toward the sun setting to the west. "I was thinking if they didn't go too far maybe we could still see Nuka sometimes."

"I don't think King Simba would like that…" Kiveh sighed, looking longingly in the direction of the setting sun.

"Do you think he'll let me just stay here then?" asked a voice behind them.

"Nuka!" the twins cried happily, tackling their playmate enthusiastically.

"What are you doing here?" Kiveh asked, musing up Nukas' thin stripe of a mane.

"I told you," the scrawny lion responded, shifting away from the noogie. "I want to ask Simba if I can stay here instead of with my mom."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Sarafinas' voice was full of remorse as she and Sarabi walked down the ramp of Pride Rock towards the trio of cubs.

"Why not mom?" Kala piped up. At two years old the cubs still had a bit of growing to do but it was already easy to see the magnificent adults the twins would become someday soon and Sarafinas' felt pride for her children fill her heart. Kala looked exactly as her older sister had as a young cub and Kiveh could have passed for a juvenile Simba. Except for their green eyes it was nearly impossible to tell the twins from her visual memories of the current king and queen as cubs.

"It just isn't a good idea for Nuka to be here right now with Simba so mad." Sarabi answered their question, making Nuka drop his head sadly.

"Then we'll hide him for a while, until Simba cools down," Kala replied simply.

"It's not that simple sweet heart," Sarabi shook her head as she explained. "You know that he and your sister have another cub to worry about now. It will be a very long time before Simba forgets what happened today."

"But Nuka didn't do anything!" the young lioness cried out indignantly.

"Kala hush," Sarafina commanded gently, nuzzling her daughter.

"I'm sorry Nuka," Sarabi said, meeting the gray cubs desperate eyes. "But you need to leave. Your mother will watch over you." The half grown lion opened his mouth but no sound emerged. With a strangled swallow Nuka closed his mouth, nodded to the old queen and turned his back on Pride Rock.

"Nuk! Don't go!" Kiveh called, bounding after his friend.

"I have to…" the other male responded, unable to meet his playmates eyes. "I don't belong here…cause of who my mom and dad are!" Nuka growled out the last part.

"Well then neither do we!" Kala spoke up from behind the boys. "Our father was Scar too!" she continued fiercely, causing her mother and Sarabi to draw back a little in shock. "If Simba doesn't trust anyone with Scar's blood than we should be exiled too!"

"Kala!" Sarafina sputtered, baffled at her daughters vicious reaction.

"Well it's true!" the young lioness countered, head held high in defiance.

"She's got a point mom," Kiveh commented. At his side Nuka looked too surprised over Kalas' fierce tirade to speak. "I think we should leave too," the male twin added tentatively.

"Not with those lionesses you're not!" Sarafina snapped out, her normally calm face outraged. Nuka suddenly came to life, a growl rising in his throat at the insult to his mother and her followers.

"Fina calm down!" Sarabi scolded, turning to Nuka and apologizing. "Try to understand Nuka, she didn't mean to insult your family." The half-grown lion relaxed just a little, Kiveh still standing firmly at his side. "Please think about this," Sarabi leaned over and whispered to Sarafina. "This may not be such a bad thing. Kiveh's almost old enough to leave the pride anyways. Why not let them go together?"

"You can't be serious Sarabi!" the lioness asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Just think about it for a while 'Fina," Sarabi answered smoothly, turning to face the youngsters again. "Enough of this arguing now," the queen told them firmly. "Nuka, I am sorry but you have to go back to your pride now. Simba is not acting like himself right now and you could be in great danger if he discovered that you where here. Kiveh, Kala," she addressed the twins, "Say goodbye to your friend now." Quietly both cubs murmured emotional good byes to the skinny gray lion. Kiveh butted heads companionably with him, while Kala teared up as she nuzzled Nuka on the neck. Once again the outcasted lion opened his mouth, but failed to get any words out. In a flash he twisted away from the twins and pounded out onto the savannah. His head bowed low to stare at just the ground before his paws. The other lions watched him disappear into the growing twilight, silent until Kiveh spoke,

"It's not fair."

Kala nodded strongly in agreement, adding, "Just because he's got Zira for a mom!" The girl cub screwed up her nose in disgust.

"Do you two understand why Simba doesn't like Nuka?" Sarabi asked the children gently.

"Because Scar killed his dad and then tried to kill him. And Simba is afraid that Nuka might do the same thing as Scar." Kala rattled off rapidly; still looking the direction Nuka had gone. When Simba had returned and taken back the crown their mother had revealed the secret she had withheld to keep them safe under Scars rule. Sarafina had explained how Scar had taken the crown through treachery, and over the past year with Simba as king the twins had come to accept that their father was not the shining hero they had once thought him to be. Sarabi nodded at Kala.

"Yes, that's pretty close."

"It's still not fair," Kala grumbled, "punishing him for who his dad is."

"Be patient for just a minute more," Sarabi chided her softly. "Now can you tell me why Scar didn't like Simba?"

"That's easy, too," Kala said, rolling her eyes. "Because Simba was going to be king and he wasn't."

"So because of who his father was," Kiveh broke in, understanding what Sarabi was getting at.

"Huh?" Kala looked at her brother, perplexed.

"Because his dad was king," Kiveh explained. "That's the whole reason Simba was prince to begin with."

"Oh…" Kala murmured, flushing in embarrassment.

"Ruling a kingdom is much harder than either of you know," Sarafina spoke up to support Sarabi.

"Is that the excuse you give us so we're not ashamed of our father?" Kiveh interrupted, face set like stone as he stared at the setting sun. He wasn't usually the one to fight with their mother, instead she and Kala butted heads while he stayed calm and pacified his sister. But now she could see he was greatly troubled by the exile of Zira and the other events of the day.

"It isn't an excuse Kiveh," his mother said kindly as she stepped forward and nuzzled the top of his head. "I'm just trying to help you understand why these things happen. I'll let you draw your own conclusions on what to think." With a sigh the lioness sat down beside her half-grown son, head tilted as she thought.

"But no," she spoke quietly after a minute. "I DON'T think you should be ashamed of your father. He was who he was, both good and bad points."

"Good?" Kala sniffed in disbelief. "All anyone's ever told us about him since Simba came back is how horrible Scar was!" The young lioness was on her feet again, pacing in frustration. Sarafina looked at her youngest daughter in shock, she had not realized how much the pride gossip had affected Kala. Apparently her twins were better at hiding their true feelings than she realized.

"Would you prefer to hear another type of story about him then?" Sarabi interjected, curiously eyeing the half-grown cubs.

"You're not going to make one up to make me feel better are you?" Kala asked, looking skeptically at the old queen, light colored fur glowing slightly under the rising moonlight.

"No," Sarabi shook her head.

"Which story is that Sarabi?" Sarafina asked, as curious as her two cubs.

"Uru's song," breathed the other lioness, raising her gaze respectfully to the stars.

"Who's Uru?" Kiveh asked.

"Let's find somewhere to lie down and I'll tell you. No one will care if we sleep outside tonight."

* * *

_**Next Chapter: The Twin Princes, the story of Mufasa and Taka as told by their mother.**_


	2. The Twin Princes

_A/N- Ok, this is the very first story about the kings of the past…unfortunately it didn't come out as planned. I was intending for it to be a song, but I am no good with music and realized that it is almost impossible to just write out a song without notes anyways which don't post on here. So it is more like a song-fic. The other story styles will vary, I promise! But for this chapter, just imagine the melody playing in the background while Sarabi kind of murmurs the __underlined__ parts of the story. Enjoy!_

_What Hurts the Most__ Song by Rascal Flatts (not mine!, can be found on youtube if you've never heard it)_

* * *

**Ch. 2- The Twin Princes**

The twins followed on the lionesses' heels as they padded over to the soft grass of a nearby hilltop. Sarabi and Sarafina lay down gracefully a little apart, while Kala burrowed in between them to lie warm against her mothers' side. Kiveh settled a little more sedately in front of his mother so he could easily see Sarabi. The sky above them had toned down to a light purple, the usual orange brilliance of the sunset dampened by the wispy clouds floating through the savannah sky.

"Please tell us the story now," Kiveh implored, green eyes focused on Sarabi who smile in return.

"First I'll tell you a little history of the story," the old queen spoke in her gentle voice. Her eyes closed in thought for several seconds before she began, "The tale of the twin princes begins with their parents, King Ahadi and his queen Uru. Now Ahadi was kind and loved his two sons, but he was also very dedicated to ruling the kingdom. So Uru, their mother, brought the twin boys up to be respectable princes on her own. When they were still young a drought came to the lands and Uru went off on a long search for a new source of water to save the dying herds. When she returned she was shocked by the change of demeanor in her youngest son. He refused to be called by his birth name of Taka, and only answered to Scar now. Unfortunately the queen was weak from her travels and fell deathly ill with a disease that the shaman Rafiki could not cure. On her deathbed the queen composed this haunting song, expressing her shame at failing her sons."

"How did she fail them?" Kala interrupted curiously, here head cocked to one side in confusion.

"Shhh!" Kiveh hissed at her but Sarabi shushed him gently.

"Because mothers believe that any short comings in their cubs are the result of their own failure to raise them properly."

"Hence why the two of you are perfect," Sarafina joked, bumping her daughter playfully with her nose. "I never made any mistakes raising you." Kala rolled her eyes and snorted; but Kiveh ignored the comment and said softly but in eagerness,

"Please sing us the song Queen Sarabi."

"All right," she agreed. "Though I'm not half the vocalist queen Uru was I will try." The lioness shuttered her eyes and took several deep breaths as the half-grown cubs leaned nearer in anticipation. Then Sarabi began to sing, quietly at first, but gaining confidence as the story unfolded and streamed free into the dark night.

* * *

_They were born on the night of the full moon. My elder boy feeling the silver rays on his closed lids as I cuddled him to my breast. But when I pulled the younger son close the moon suddenly hid that bright face behind a cloud. My red cub seemed to smile happily as the darkness covered him and a spark of fear sped my heart._

_I can take the rain o the roof of this empty house_

_That don't bother me_

_I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out_

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while_

_Even though going on with you gone still upsets me_

_There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok_

_But that's not what gets me!_

_My husband dismissed my fears, promising that together we would raise them both to be great rulers. But as our sons grew and the drought intensified, he became too busy to do more than teach them the bare bones of running a kingdom. Their brotherly quarrels for Ahadis' time intensified, but each day when the sun set they forgot their differences to beg me for a story. How I loved those nights and used each story to solidify the importance of friendship and family in their hearts._

_What hurts the most, was being so close _

_And having so much to say, and watching you walk away_

_And never knowing, what could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do_

_When they were half grown the drought became so overwhelming that it was necessary to find a new source of water. Resolutely I set out, not realizing how long my journey would take, as they watch me walk off from beside their father. I left my sons to save my kingdom—but how I wish I could have saved their friendship instead. I failed my boys that day as I turned my back upon them._

_It's hard to deal with pain of losing you everywhere I go_

_But I'm doin it_

_It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone_

_Still harder, getting up, getting dressed, livin with this regret_

_But I know if I could do it over_

_I would trade, give away all the words that I saved in my heart_

_That I left unspoken_

_In my absence they drifted swiftly apart, driven by the wedge of potential kinghood. Ahadi was occupied with the problems of the Pride Lands, and did not notice. But I shivered in anguish at my return when my son told me that he had given up his birth name to be called Scar. Sick and unable to speak with shock I wavered on my paws as he stalked away, Mufasa watching silently._

_What hurts the most, was being so close_

_And having so much to say, and watching you walk away_

_And never knowing, what could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do_

_In desperation I kept him at my side, trying to let my bright love beat the darkness off of him. Yet my youngest ignored me, delving into his own inner world where I could not follow. I tried to scold Mufasa as he continued to exclude his brother, but my golden son could only say that his brother would hardly even speak to him, much less play. My heart broke that night when my Taka refused to hear a story._

_What hurts the most, was being so close_

_And having so much to say, and watching you walk away_

_And never knowing, what could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do_

_This evening marks my final sun, and they stand side by side in shared grief. My strong husband finally breaks down to tears and leaves me alone with my children, my dear boys. Look past this rift between you and remember the games you played as cubs. I love you both with my entire being. Please let it bind you. There have been twin princes before, happy to share the kingdom, please let my brave boys do the same…_

_Not seeing that loving you_

_That's what I was trying to do_

_Oooohhhh……_

* * *

"That's not a happy song," Kiveh whispered. During Sarabis' story the temperature had dropped and the half grown male had wiggled over to lie against his mothers warm side, peering over her paws at the former queen.

"No, it isn't," Sarabi shook her head gently in agreement. "Uru was heartbroken by the attitude of her sons."

"It was very different from any story I ever heard about dad before," Kala spoke steadily, staring at the ground before her. _It's the only one that ever made it seem like it might not be all dads' fault…even King Mufasa wasn't perfect._ The cub raised her head, meeting Sarabis' golden eyes with her own green ones. "Thank you Sarabi," she said sincerely. The lioness nodded in acknowledgement.

"I never thought about King Mufasa…" Kiveh began to say then his voice trailed off and he looked nervously over at the old queen.

"What about him Kiveh?" Sarabi asked when it became apparent that he wasn't going to finish. Kala felt a rush of understanding, sensing that her brother was echoing her recent thoughts aloud. The little lionesses hesitated for just a moment, but she always was the more daring one and Kala trusted Queen Sarabi as much as her own mother.

"We never thought that he was just like anyone else, that he could make mistakes too. It didn't sound like he tried to make his brother feel better, he was just happy to have his dad's attention," she said in a rush, needing to get the words out before she wondered how the old queen would act hearing her dead husband spoken of in such a way. Luckily Sarabi just gave a sad smile.

"Yes, in many ways he was just like everyone else," the older lioness replied thoughtfully, her gaze rising to the stars.

"More-so when he was young," Sarafina corrected, yawning loudly. "Remember the time he tried to get some honey from that nest?" Sensing that their conversation was going to get boring with walks down memory lane, Kala wiggled to lie over her mothers' front paws so she could talk to Kiveh. Fina gave a little growl of fake annoyance, then settled her head comfortably on her half-grown daughters shoulders and continuing to talk to Sarabi.

"Well she definitely didn't make that up on the spot," Kiveh pointed out, lying almost nose to nose with his light colored sister.

"No," she agreed softly, green eyes drifting over the landscape a bit as she thought. "But is it fair," she questioned after a minute, "to kind of excuse dad for what he did? I mean, saying just because he had a tough and lonely cubhood doesn't justify the horrible things he did…I mean a lot of the things the others say is exaggerated but he still did some awful stuff." Kiveh looked at her steadfastly, green eyes sure.

"It wasn't about giving him an out, that song was a reminder," the young lion explained. "If you listen close that song actually **does** say that it's dad's fault. He's the one who turns down his mothers' love and insisted on being called Scar."

"But I felt sorry for him at the end!" Kala interjected. "Like it wasn't all his fault."

"Right," Kiveh nodded. "That's the whole point. Even though it was his decision in the end, you can't blame him for how everything turned out. There was a whole chain of events from before that led to what happened."

"And not just how he was treated," Kala surprised her twin by breaking in thoughtfully. "If there hadn't been a drought, if the main herds hadn't been killed by illness things might have been different…he might have had a chance to redeem himself…"

"So you can think with that furry skull of yours," Kiveh chided, laughing as she stuck her tongue at him in retaliation.

"All right you two," Sarafina interrupted firmly. "Time to quiet down."

"Awww," Kalas' whine turned into a huge yawn as she shifted into the warm space between mother and brother.

"I still think we should leave Mom," Kiveh whispered, his green eyes looking steadily at her as he brought up their earlier argument.

"Tonight?" she jerked in surprise. He nodded and Sarafina bit back another quick reply, studying her son for a moment. His brilliantly red mane was darkened by the night, but his golden pelt shone even under the pale light of the stars. Despite being born during the famine under Scars' reign he was well grown, just recently overcoming the awkward adolescent stage of all legs and paws though he was still adolescent thin and needed to build some muscle. With a sigh the mother lioness cast a look also at her daughter already sleeping peacefully. Sarafina was struck, as always, by how similar Kala looked to her older sister. With Kiveh at her side the twins had often been mistaken for the king and queen from a distance, and Sarafina knew it wouldn't be long before they came up with a good prank that took advantage of their look-a-likeness.

"I won't stop you Kiveh," she finally said, turning to meet her sons' persistent gaze with watery eyes. "Simba is understanding but…I knew you'd leave at some point anyways….I just didn't think it would be so soon." The mother lioness breathed out gently, closing her eyes in a slow blink as the night wind breezed past her ears. "Whatever you decide on just remember that I love you."

"I know mom," Kiveh replied, succeeding in keeping most of the sarcasm from his tone. But the young male purred softly as he rubbed heads with his mother. "And I'll make sure that Kala doesn't get into any trouble," he grinned, lightening the mood. Sarafina smiled, he had never been one for displays of affection but her son was loyal to the core when it came to his family and friends. She watched him cuddled up to his sister, then she lay her own head down. Sarafina thought she would be unable to sleep, lying awake and wondering whether her precious children would actually leave her tomorrow. But the lioness was soon lulled into slumber by the matched breathing of the twins against her side; so when she woke up in the morning they were already gone.

* * *

_**Next Chapter: Ryza's Reign, Kiveh and Kala end up in the elephant graveyard and hear an interesting story from the hyena clan.**  
_

_A/N- That's it, thanks for reading, please R&R and let me know what you think._


	3. Ryza's Reign

_A/N- Here's the next chapter, I apologize in advance for everyone who already read the story of Ryza in my other fic, Reign of the Red King. I did tweak the ending a little bit though. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Ch. 3- Ryza's Reign**

"So where exactly are we going?"

"What makes you think I had somewhere in mind?" Kiveh responded irritably, refusing to look back at his sister as they pushed through the tall savannah grass.

"Because you're the one who woke me up with the sun to leave!" Kala shot back, the angry effect of her words cut off by a sharp yawn. "Argh," she grumbled, giving a quick stretch. "Come on let's find something to eat, I'm starving!"

"Umm…I haven't been hunting in ages though Kal," her brother admitted, trotting to keep up with the eager young lioness as the grasses grew shorter.

"All you males," she grumbled, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Don't you boys ever wonder what you'll do once you leave the pride and have to live on your own?"

"Hey! I CAN hunt for myself!" Kiveh shot back defensively. "I just haven't done it for a while," he admitted, almost running into his sister when she stopped unexpectedly.

"Shhh!" Kala hissed, sinking into a hiding crouch in the grass. Kiveh hesitated only a second before copying her, though the red of his mane stood out against the golden grasses. Silently Kala drew his attention to what lay in front of them. Kiveh caught the distinct, spicy scent of Sneezewood; several of the trees had taken root on the shore of the trickling river, the grass beneath them cropped short by herbivorous grazers. A warren of rabbits was currently feeding in the hollow, blissfully unaware of the young lions approach.

Using her tail Kala urged her brother to crouch lower to the ground, wordlessly telling him to stay put while she slunk away. As she disappeared effortlessly from sight Kiveh gave a silent thanks to his mother for forcing the two of them to practice hunting technique. Kala had enjoyed the excursions, excited by the prospect of joining the hunting party one day. His sister had always enjoyed the comradery of such groups, while Kiveh had preferred to be responsible only for his own actions. However Sarafina had insisted he be adequate at catching prey so Kiveh had spent hours practicing stalking skills with Kala and knew exactly what she was planning.

He shifted eagerly from paw to paw as he waited for her to circle around and dash out, scaring the prey towards him. The gentle breeze tousled his mane, tickling one ear; and he mentally noted that his sister had crossed downwind, and gave her a mental compliment. As if cued by his thought of her Kala burst from her hiding spot, rushing the small prey with teeth bared. The rabbits scattered, the lioness darting one way after them while Kiveh dashed the other. He heard the slap of a heavy paw and roar of attack from behind him, however the young lion was too focused on his own quarry to look back. The long eared rodent zigzagged frantically but the cubs' longer legs kept him too close for it to escape. Suddenly Kivehs' hind paw slipped on a loose rock, just as he swiped at the rabbit. With a surprised yell the cub tripped, falling to the ground and rolling down a sharp incline.

"Oww!" the young male complained, sitting up and rubbing his stripe of a mane with paw. "That kinda hurt…" Something moved under his back leg and despite his shock at seeing the rabbit Kiveh managed to kill the small herbivore with a quick bite to the neck before it escaped.

"Kiveh you ok!" asked Kala suddenly appearing at the top of the precipice, peering down anxiously.

"Yeah," her twin replied, shaking the worst of the dust from his coat as the cream lioness picked her way carefully down the steep drop.

"You still caught it? Impressive," she applauded him, nosing the prey.

"Where's yours?" Kiveh chided, feeling a little arrogant when he noticed his sisters empty mouth. Kala shot him a cold look, revealing one canine before he broke down laughing.

"Hey Sis relax! I'll share, I promise!" Kiveh told her sincerely. "Maybe we should eat somewhere else though…" he commented, warily taking in their surroundings. Random bones littered the dusty earth, one curving one as long as either of the twins.

"Whoa! Talk about big!" Kala gaped admiringly. Leaving her brothers side the lioness padded over and began inspecting the clean picked remains. "We must be in the graveyard," she whispered, tentatively placing a paw on one of the largest pieces.

"Come on," Kiveh urged, though the male twin was looking around just as curiously as his sister. "I don't want to run into any of the hyenas."

"You're not scared are you?" his sister asked, now standing on top of one of the rib bones and sniffing it curiously. "The ones we knew were always pretty nice."

"Yeah, it's just…" the gold lion glanced around, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. "The graveyard is their territory…" he said slowly, gaze shifting to where Kala was balancing on the curved bone.

"Aww come on and play Kiv! This is fun!" she laughed as the bone rocked to one side. The young male hesitated for moment, then grinned mischievously as he pounced on the other end and made his sister go flying.

"Whoa!" Kala yelped, her paws almost a tail length off the ground. Catlike though she kept her balance, landing neatly near her takeoff point. Kala was laughing so hard that she had trouble bringing her head up to look at Kiveh but then abruptly her face contorted to rage. "Hey! Give that back!"

Kiveh jerked his head around, just in time to see a hyena pup dashing away with his rabbit. Immediately Kala raced off in pursuit, roaring in fury. Caught off guard it took her brother a moment to process that he should be trying to get their food back too. Belatedly he took off, dodging broken bones and boulders to keep the other two in sight. Just as quickly though the hyena pup disappeared into the dark interior of a skull, slipping through an entrance too small for Kala to do anything more than poke a paw in. Several stabs inside though returned nothing and the young lioness began to pace in front of the old bone. Crossly she gnashed her teeth together as Kiveh loped up, crouching down and peering into the dark hole to see their quarry.

"He's got to come out some time!" Kala growled, tensed to spring as soon as that event occurred.

"He's not in there," her brother commented calmly, standing up and glancing around in hopes of seeing the disappeared pup.

"What?!" the young lioness exclaimed, frantically shoving her eye to the entrance and confirm it for herself. Kiveh continued to roam his green eyes around the barren land, lifting his nose a little to scent the air. Purposefully he began circling the skull, methodically searching for any sign of their prey and its kidnapper. When he reached the opposite side the lion raised his head, the stripe of his mane shifting in the light breeze as he eyed his sister dumbfounded. "You can't be serious!" she cried out, racing over to Kiveh and groaning as she saw the depression under the mound of bone that was just big enough for a hyena pup to slip through. "I can't believe I was so stupid!" the lioness moaned, stomping the ground in anger.

"Come on, we can still track him," Kiveh said, turning and slowly following the twisting scent trail. A minute later the twins crept slowly up to the lip of a small ravine, certain that their quarry was only just ahead of them.

"Skad, lookie, lookie!" a young voice chirped happily from below them. Unable to contain herself any longer Kala leaped forward, landing almost on top of the pup and roaring in rage. The terrified youngster abandoned his stolen meal, scrambling as fast as his short legs could carry him to the protection of a larger hyena close by. The adult reacted quickly to the sudden appearance of a lion, baring her teeth and stepping protectively over the pup.

"You little brat!" Kala spat, staring at the quivering pup. "You stole our breakfast!"

"Nuh uh!" he retorted, overcoming the shock of her pouncing on him. "It's mine!" Fiercely he took a couple steps toward her and Kiveh broke out laughing at the sight of his sister standing nose to nose with an angry hyena pup a tenth her size. His laughter broke the spell and Kala took a small step back, her face coloring in shame at losing her temper so badly. The adult hyena was still tensed, though she covered her teeth as Kiveh padded down on level with them, still laughing.

"I'm sorry Kal," he apologized to his sister between chuckles. "But you two looked so funny!"

"Did not!" the hyena pup contradicted, silenced as the adult put a paw on his muzzle.

"What's going on here?" the female hyena asked, still watching the two young lions warily.

"Your pup here took our food," Kala grumbled, though she managed to keep her tone to one of annoyance rather than anger.

"Tiez…." The female hyena growled, looking down at the pup with a warning look.

"Eh, heh, heh," he giggled nervously, looking up at her and attempting to appear innocent. "You see….well it's kind of a funny story…you don't believe them do you Skadow?" he finally asked, unable to explain away his guilt.

"We'll talk later Bro," Skadow hissed at him, then ignored the dejected pup completely and addressed the twins. "I apologize for the trouble my brother caused, but can I ask what lions are doing in the graveyard in the first place?"

"Kiveh kind of just…stumbled in," Kala responded rapidly, trying to redeem herself.

"Does this mean you're not going to eat us?" a youthful bark asked. Four sets of eyes suddenly popped up from behind several different boulders, and several pups the same age as Tiez wandered cautiously over to the group.

"We figured the game of hide and seek was over," one explained to the Skadow, licking her cheek apologetically.

"My name's Tavi!" another introduced herself to the lions eagerly, bouncing over to greet them.

"I'm Tesla!"

"Tobia!"

"Aww I didn't want to be last!" the final pup whined, abandoning the older hyena to stand by her sisters. "My name's Tuma!" she smiled up at the surprised twins.

"Um…nice to meet you?" Kiveh responded, unsure how such a heated confrontation had turned into polite introductions. From the confused look on the pups sisters' face she was just as surprised as he was. The four little girls stood in a line before him, grinning eagerly up at the lions.

"Do you wanna play hide and seek with us?" one of them asked. Kiveh thought it was Tesla but the pups where almost identical and he was utterly confused on who was who. His sister, on the other hand, had a better memory for that type of thing.

"Maybe later Tobia," Kala responded instead, making the pup wiggle happily to have her name remembered.

"Guys leave them alone, there's enough of you to play by yourselves," Skadow broke in gently, giving the twins an apologetic glance.

"But it's not as much fun!" the littermates protested.

"Git," she scolded good naturedly, nudging Tiez to join his sisters. "Pups," Skadow muttered, shaking her head with a grin.

"Gotta love babysitting huh?" Kala asked, an understanding smile on her face. The hyena nodded in agreement and Kiveh felt the last of the tension between them evaporate.

"We really didn't mean to intrude," he told the hyena sincerely, bowing slightly in apology.

"No big deal," Skadow admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's not like lions are exactly banned from coming here." Now completely at ease the trio of teenagers relaxed, sitting or laying down and watching the five pups play. "What _are_ you guys doing here though?" Skadow asked again after a minute. "I mean shouldn't you be in the Pride Lands."

"We kinda decided to leave," Kiveh admitted softly. He and Kala summarized Ziras' exile for the curious hyena, and told her how they no longer felt at home in the pride that judged their father so harshly.

"Wow, that's some decision," Skadow said admiringly. "You know I'm sure it would be ok if you guys stayed here for a while."

"Oh we don't want to…" Kala started to say, but the hyena cut her off.

"Let me finish! I was going to say until you two figure out exactly what you're planning on doing the rest of your lives. It sounded like you left in kind of a hurry, stay with us for a while and let it really sink in. Plus," she added with a cheeky grin, "It looks like you could use a little more hunting training. I mean, what kind of lioness lets her brother catch more prey than her?" Skadows' tone was utterly joking, and both she and Kala burst out laughing. With the sixth sense that youngsters seem to have about when they are no longer in trouble the five pups bounded over.

"Can we go home and see dad now?" Tiez questioned eagerly, looking up pleadingly at his big sister.

"Sure, him and Spite are probably back from hunting by now," she replied, getting to her feet and looking back at the twins. "What about you two? Wanna take me up on my offer?"

"We're not going to be stealing food from you are we?" Kiveh asked in concern.

"Nah, there's plenty for everyone now. Plus we'll make you work for it," she said with a mischievous grin.

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy!" the pups cried, piling onto the grizzled male.

"Ahh! Don't eat me! If I had known you were that hungry I would have come back sooner!" he laughed, watching fondly as the entire litter dug into one of the impala carcass before him.

"Oh sure don't say hi to your brother," a younger male complained, laughing as one of the little girls jumped up and licked his cheek in apology.

"That's my dad, and my brother Spite," Skadow explained to the twins as they approached.

"We brought some friends back too daddy!" One of the pups piped up, drawing his attention to the approaching lions.

"Don't talk with your mouth full Tuma," an adult female scolded as she appeared. Then her face softened as she looked over at Skadow and the twins. "Who are your friends dear?"

"Hi mom, this is Kiveh and Kala. They'd like to stay with us for a while if that's ok."

"Of course, I have missed having your lion friends around," the female responded, nodding a welcome to the twins.

"Momma tell us a story during dinner!" one of the pups begged, the others quickly joining in.

"Yeah a story!"

"One of the good ones!"

"I wanna hear about elephants!"

"Well since we have quests I guess we can have a treat," the mother hyena relented, sitting down as the pups dragged their dinner over to listen.

"Help yourselves," her husband addressed the two lions. Thanking him the twins each took a portion of the meat, following Skadows' lead and laying down near the pups to listen to the story.

"Well in honor of our lion guests I think I have the perfect story," the mother said thoughtfully, yellow eyes checking to make sure everyone was settled. "You five haven't heard this one before but Spite and Skadow know it."

"Are you gonna tell Ryzas' story mom?" Spite asked eagerly, making sure to swallow before he did.

"That's the one you always tell when we meet new lions!" Skadow chided playfully, but from the way she eagerly cocked an ear to listen the twins could tell she was excited for the tale.

"And I haven't had one yet who didn't enjoy the story," her mother pointed out with a smile. With those words she took a deep breath and began, voice rising and falling with the flow of the story, quickly capturing the full attention of her audience. "Now, Ryza's reign began long ago…"

* * *

_Many years ago there was a lion named Ryza, and he was prince of the Pride Lands. His sister, Mira, was the current queen and the prince was among her most esteemed companions. All the animals rejoiced when they saw the queen and prince proudly surveying the lands of Pride rock, their pelts glowing brightly in the golden sun._

_In those days both lions and hyenas were in charge of the laws of the land. The lions (being stronger hunters) managed the prey and daily running of the prosperous Pride Lands, while the hyenas were the defenders of its borders, raised from young pups to fight and defend their land from invaders. This partnership suited both species fine, and though it was the lion who was named king or queen, the hyena leader was given the title Captain of War and had just as much power._

_Prince Ryza grew up with a young hyena named Zuma, who was the son of the current Captain of war. Together they played many pranks upon the elders and hid the shamans' sacred objects, all in a playful companionship. Prince Ryza did not desire to take the crown from his sister and Zuma as well was content being second best to his mother as Captain. So it was that while they grew up there was stability and peace in the monarchy and the Pride Lands flourished._

_But it seems as though peace is always doomed to not last for long. Queen Mira was often gone, spreading news of the peaceful co-existence in the Pride Lands in the hopes that the practice would spread far and wide. In her absence Captain Tarzi was in charge of the pride lands with the mischievous help of young Ryza and Zuma. Once when Mira was gone for many weeks a border battle took much of Captain Tarzis' attention away from the running of the kingdom, and discord began to spread, unnoticed by the inexperienced Ryza and Zuma._

_Several lions felt as though they could fight to protect the kingdom as well as the hyenas that guarded its lush borders. They whispered into each other's ears of how they felt Queen Mira was too lenient with the scavengers. One lioness felt very strongly that there was no reason they needed to hunt for the hyenas as well as themselves. With growling threats she refused to share her portion of meat with a young hyena mother. For several days this continued, the young hyena was a quiet soul that did not want to trouble her superiors with what seemed such a small problem._

_But her young pups began to suffer when she could produce no more milk and the mother hyena could ignore the problem no longer. Anxiously she approached Captain Tarzi and told her of the lioness who had jealously kept meat to herself. When she saw the bone thin and sick pups, the hyena leader was shocked. Several of her lieutenants immediately began hissing for a cruel punishment for the lioness._

_Tarzi commanded that no sentencing would occur until the Queen returned, but tempers began to flare between the two species as the story spread like wildfire. The lions either believed the hyenas were lying or thought that their pride member had been right, and the scavengers had no claim to share the meat they killed daily. Tension grew, even when Queen Mira and an ambassador returned and were informed of the treason._

_The sleek lion queen commanded that the disloyal lioness be guarded and kept in solitude until the next evening so she would have time to think of a proper punishment with a cool head. Uneasily both lions and hyenas accepted the ruling, but the tension still rising between them caused the coals of anger in their hearts to flare._

_Before Queen Mira could cast her punishment, a male hyena broke through the guards and killed the unruly lioness. One of the sick hyena pups had died during the night, and their father blamed the lioness for withholding precious food from his mate. His actions sparked chaos in the uneasy realm. Lion and hyena clashed against each other, old friends were forgotten as they fought with tooth and claw for dominance._

_Valiantly Queen Mira and Captain Tarzi fought to break apart the fighters. As one they rushed to push apart the carnivores, dancing to avoid snapping teeth and slashing claws. But they were only two creatures and could not halt the flow of anger that had built up over the days. The green grass turned wet and red with blood as the two species tore at each other._

_In the midst of the battle Mira spotted Prince Ryza fighting his old friend Zuma, afraid of the regrets he would feel later when his rational mind returned Mira raced over to confront the young animals. But the blood of battle had slicked the stone of Pride Rock and the lithe queen stumbled and slid over the edge._

_The battle seemed to slow to a crawl as the lion queen fell, silently through the air. The crash of her body hitting the ground wrenched every head to look as she landed on the hard earth. Captain Tarzi howled in fear as she raced down to her friends side. But the regal lion queen was dead, lying broken on the bloodied grass of the land she had tried to rule peacefully._

_All the lions and hyenas were in shock as they approached the body, both Ryza and Zuma could not move a muscle they were so stunned. Mournfully the entire congregation wept, roaring and howling their grief at the loss of their queen. The strength of their cries rose as lion and hyena began to notice the bodies of other comrades killed in the battle, scattered in the torn up grass. Stiff legged Ryza and Zuma dragged themselves down to join their friends and family. When they stepped into the mourning circle of beasts Captain Tarzi turned to Ryza and told him that he was now King of the Pride Lands, crystal tears flowing freely from her yellow eyes._

_Angrily Ryza cursed the crown, calling into the appearing stars of dusk that he would rather have his sister at his side than the Pride Lands beneath his paw. That night lion and hyena slept side by side at the base of Pride Rock, holding vigil for their beloved queen. When they buried her the next morning, Ryza stepped forward to say his last words. With Zuma at his side the new King said that he had decided to lay down the crown to the land, stating that any animal who could fight to kill his best friend did not deserve to be a ruler._

_The ambassador Aysa stepped forward then, looking the lion King in the eye as he told him that a land in anarchy was worse off even than a land held by a poor king. With the urging of his subjects Ryza sadly agreed to keep his crown, praying to the great kings to grant him a peaceful reign._

_It was the young hyena Zuma that voiced the solution; heartbroken he told the king that the best way to prevent such heinous acts again was to live separately. If lion and hyena each had their own land they would not be so likely to feel jealous of one another, each would be responsible for their own existence. Ryza embraced his childhood friend and they both cried without shame, knowing that they could not risk another massacre such as this. Solemnly the king granted half of pride lands to the remaining hyenas as their own, and watched mournfully as his friend led the wounded group over the new border. The lions remained behind, roaring sad goodbyes as their former comrades disappeared on the horizon._

_King Ryza ruled for several years, the order of the Pride Lands kept sternly with the recent memory of bloody value. However Ryza spent much of every night pining for his lost friend Zuma, and when the new prince was ready for the crown the King eagerly passed on his title. In the gray darkness of the coronation night Ryza and Zuma met for the first time in many years, unashamed of the tears trickling from their eyes. Shoulder to shoulder the two friends walked the border between their two lands, until they reached the southern edge. To one side the mountains marched, their peaks growing in height as they followed the horizon; the other way was the jungle, a green smudge on the horizon. However right before them lay the white-gold sand of the desert, unmarked by any paw._

_"What lies beyond the sand my friend?" the former king queried. "I do not know, but let us go and discover it together," the answer came of Zuma. The two fast friends stepped across the border in unison, leaving a double trail of prints in the rippled sand. It is said that they traveled for many days, the scorching sun upon theirs backs, until they reached the roaring sea. There the two spent their final days together, the salty water washing away their bloody memories._

**Next Chapter: Kiveh and Kala settle in with the hyenas and decide to repay them with a telling of their own story about the great king Mohatu but what's with all the secret planning before they tell it?  
**

* * *

_A/N- Well I hope you liked my explanation of why the hyenas live in the graveyard. I always wondered why they were exiled from the lands, and since most stories make them into villains I tried to shake it up a bit. Now I have a couple of favors to ask of everyone, please and thank you. _

_1. As always please review and let me know what you think!_

_2. If you have a minute please visit my profile and vote in the poll whether you would prefer shorter chapters with quicker updates, or longer chapters that take longer to post._

_3. And finally if anyone knows a web site where I can read the actual story about Mohatu (not just a summary) please let me know._

_Thanks everyone!_


	4. Settling In

_A/N- Here's another chapter, and I would like some reviews on this one please! Come on guys, 40+ hits on the last chapter and one review? Doesn't anyone have good manners anymore?_

_Big thanks to SSL for being a helpful review, thanks so much!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Settling In**

"I'm Ryza!" Tiez growled, breaking the silence as he jumped to his feet and bared his teeth playfully. "And I'm going to fight you little hyenas!" His four sisters squealed in mock fear, scattering as the young male pounced at them; missing on his first try and reduced to chasing after them.

"That was a pretty cool story Siika," Kala told the hyena mother in honest sincerity. During the tale other hyenas had wandered in; some alone, others with mates and/or pups at their heels. All had settled down silently, listening with rapt attention as Siika had told of the past alliance of lions and hyenas. Now however they yipped and howled in approval with the young lioness. The storyteller blushed at the praise, and the congregation of hyenas slowly broke up as they drifted off for the night; friends and relatives speaking to one another in a comforting murmur that made the twins feel just as at home as Pride Rock.

"I never knew that the hyenas were such good warriors," Kiveh complimented.

"Were is the key word," the husband grumbled, looking at the twins with a disappointed gaze. "Since the time of Ryza we haven't had the time or resources to train our young how to fight," he shot a sad glance at his own rambunctious pups. "It's been all we could do to stay alive."

"Not everything's died out," Siika amended, giving her husband a loving lick on the cheek. "Pietz here is our current chief of war, same as the old days."

"It's nothing but a title now," he corrected her gently, regret for the loss apparent on his gray face.

"But you're still a hero daddy!" one of the girl pups suddenly spoke up, surprising the older animals.

"Yeah!" her sister chimed in. "You're our hero!"

"You girls are so sappy!" Tiez scolded, making faces at them.

The adults and teens laughed at the pups antics, but a peal of thunder covered the noise. The pitter-patter of raindrops sounded in their ears, the light sprinkles growing rapidly into large drops that slapped loudly on the rocky ground.

"Ack! I'm going to melt!" Tiez yelped as a raindrop landed and exploded on his nose. One of the little girls stuck her tongue out to mock him, but both hyenas and lion cubs followed closely on his heels as Tiez hurtled toward the refuge of the caves.

"That came on fast!" Spite panted when they were all inside, the sky outside now black with a torrential downpour.

"Look at the lightning!" his little sister Tavi exclaimed in awe. The young animals all turned back to the storm raging outside, several gasping in awe at the display before them. The dark clouds rolled swiftly across the sky, occasionally clashing together and combining to form an even darker spot in the storm tossed heavens. Thin, bright bolts of lighting flashed from storm cloud to storm cloud, turning the sky purple for a second before it shifted back to a ghostly green. To the west the setting sun was visible as a golden mass of clouds, the leading edge of the storm still thin enough to let the dying light through.

"Now that is cool," Kala murmured appreciatively, sitting down to watch the brilliant storm.

"Definitely," agreed Skadow, laying down next to her and immediately being assaulted by her younger siblings looking for a comfy seat. "Oof! You guys are heavy!" the teenage hyena grumbled, rolling her eyes as they crawled over her.

"We're going in where it's warmer," Siika addressed her children, "You guys promise to come in soon?"

"Sure mom," Spite replied, stepping over to sit near Kiveh.

"And you pups behave!" Their father Pietz growled in mock ferocity, eyeing the five smallest hyenas.

"Us?" one of the girls questioned, smiling up at him sweetly, "We're little angels!"

"Right…" her father said rolling his eyes in obvious disbelief, but the two adults headed into the warmer confines of the cavern, leaving the youngsters alone.

"It's awesome how you can still see the sun setting," Kala commented, green eyes transfixed on the glowing horizon until a couple of the hyena pups tumbled off their sister and bounced on her creamy fur. "Hey!" the young lioness barked in surprise, then joined in their wrestling game with an impish smile that made the pups shriek in phony fear.

"I'll bet the view is better from Pride Rock," Kiveh heard Skadow whisper quietly, traces of regret obvious from her tone. It suddenly struck the young lion that she and her brother had grown up in the Pride Lands just as he and Kala had. The main difference now was that he and Kala had chosen to leave their home, while Spite and Skadow had had no choice in the matter. The male wondered how hard it was, to live so close to the familiar haunts of your childhood and yet be unable to set paw upon them. After hearing the story of Ryza he now understood why the hyenas honored the ancient division of the land and stayed in the graveyard as much as possible; but he still found that kind of dedication incredible.

"You hyenas really are tough," he spoke, surprising the other teenagers; the pups were too busy with their games to notice. "The resolve it takes to live here, with lands in full flourish so close is incredible. I really admire that of your kind." Kiveh dropped his head to accentuate the statement, his half grown mane brushing into his eyes.

"Don't spread your praise too far," Spite told him wryly. "Apparently it wasn't so bad to begin with, when Ryza and Zuma first split the territory, then something about the land changed so grass and stuff didn't grow. Of course the prey didn't stick around then, so hunting got pretty lean."

"I think one of the kings tried to help though," Skadow added. "Dad was saying that this hadn't always been the elephant graveyard. They used to go to the outlands when it was time to die."

"Not the elephant graveyard?" Kala asked, looking around at the numerous mountains of enormous bones in disbelief. "I never would have guessed that."

Skadow merely shrugged, "Anyways, being able to feed off their remains was enough to make sure we didn't starve out. But then it was just another reason to stay on our side of the border; we owed that king a debt for his actions to save us. Unfortunately," the young male growled, biting at his lower lip, "not all of us are so loyal to deeds done in the past."

"But there hasn't been any trouble between you guys and our pride since Simba…" Kala hesitated for a second, searching for a better word than exiled or banished, "_asked_ all the hyenas to leave," she finally settled on, glancing at the hyena twins for confirmation while the younger pups clambered over her back and front paws.

"That's just because most of the trouble stayed in the graveyard," clarified Skadow. "You may not know this but when Simba came back a lot of the hyenas wanted to serve him like we used to in the days of Mira and Ryza. But…" here the young hyena dropped her head, a note of sadness in her voice, "when they asked permission to stay in the Pride Lands, swearing loyalty to him and the lionesses Simba turned them down."

"What?" Kala exclaimed in surprise. "But Simba usually gives everyone a second chance! We even heard that he gave our father a chance to run away and live but dad refused…"

"It wasn't just that he didn't trust us," Spite interrupted her, carefully shifting a front paw out from under one of his sisters who was cuddled up tiredly. With the ease of practice he pulled her closer to his side where it was warmer, all without waking her. "He said he would gladly give us another chance, but that there was no way the land could sustain both a pride and a clan of hyenas in the state it was."

"Food was pretty thin when he came back, it took a while for the rains to revive the land," Kiveh recalled. The half grown lion stretched out on the cool stone and was immediately set upon by two of the pups, the little girls crawling up to lay on his warm shoulder.

"Oh it made perfect sense," Spite agreed continuing with his explanation. "The king stated that once the land was recovered and the herds had returned we would be given a chance to prove our loyalty and live in the Pride Lands."

"Shenzi didn't like that idea much," Skadow spat out unexpectedly. "She felt that there was no reason we should wait for that. Instead she tried to convince the others that the LIONS should be the ones to stay in the elephant graveyard."

"Shenzi did? Really?" Kala asked in amazement. "I always thought that she was so nice. She's the one who taught us to pounce, remember Kiveh?" the light colored lioness turned to ask her brother.

"Course I do," Kiveh spoke up. "I'm guessing she had some good reasons though," he said simply, looking at the two hyenas questioningly.

"Yeah, Shenzi was one of those hyenas who grew up oppressed by those 'mangy, slobbering, stupid lions," Spite continued, darting a quick apologetic glance at the twins, "Her own words, no offense." Kala and Kiveh both shrugged it off, silently telling him to continue. "I think she just didn't want her pups to grow up the way she did, so when she saw the chance to take over the Pride Lands she couldn't pass it up," the male hyena speculated.

"But they never did attack," Kiveh pointed out, a thoughtful look on his face. "Let me guess," he asked, turning to look at the other male. "You guys stood up to her, so the clan was divided about fighting?"

"Yep," confirmed Spite. "Most of the hyenas didn't want to fight against the lions. A lot of us had grown up alongside the pride and even had friends who were lions. So instead Shenzi and most of the older hyenas took off across the desert, they knew better than to challenge Simba with so few."

"Then a lot more drifted away before the rains came, when food was really thin," Skadow added. "Those expecting pups especially." She sighed, looking at the horizon downheartedly. "Most of them wander back in now and then though, things don't seem to be any better out there for hyenas though. Not unless you want to join a clan that's constantly battling lions or leopards for their food. At least here they have the support of friends and family. I guess there's just nowhere else we can live peacefully."

"So that left only a fraction of the clan still here," Kiveh muttered. "Wait, so that was basically everyone who came and listened to the story? That's all that's left?"

"Just about," the hyena replied. "Some more will probably return when the rains do, we'll have more hunting available then."

"But you guys that stayed never came back for that second chance Simba offered," Kala voiced, head cocked quizzically. "There's plenty of food for everyone in the Pride Lands now. So what happened?"

"We didn't need to, that's all," Skadow explained, shrugging her shoulders. "With so few of us there's enough food on clan land to feed everyone…and honestly this is our real home, not the Pride Lands…though I do miss some of our old friends."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand feeling more at home here," Kala consented, before she broke into a huge yawn.

"Maybe we should t-t-t-turn in," Skadow stuttered, yawning herself. As she got up the teenaged hyena grinned at Kala, "Plus we've got to get up early if we're going to work on your hunting skills." The young lioness made a face as her new friend chided her, the two girls breaking into laughter that made their brother roll their eyes in exasperation.

_Sisters,_ they thought silently, exchanging glances. Spite shrugged it off though, craning his neck to pick up the younger sister curled at his side.

"Looks like you've made a friend," Skadow said to Kala as the hyena got up, motioning to the pup asleep between Kalas' front paws.

"Guess so," she responded, the lions smile affectionate as she looked down at the sleeping Tiez. "I'll carry him in." The older hyena nodded at the offer, deftly scooping up both pups sleeping on Kievhs' shoulder and carrying them inside. The young male felt a moment of sadness as their warm weight disappeared, but pushed it aside and picked up the last hyena pup. The golden lion followed his sister inside, the last vestiges of the thunderstorm fading into the calm night. Soft moonlight finally coated the landscape as the clouds thinned, the water dripping from the rocky outcroppings of the graveyard creating a soothing rhythm that lullabied its inhabitants to sleep.

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For over a month the twins settled into life with the hyenas. However determined Kiveh might have been to leave the lion pride after Simba exile Zira, he had quickly realized that he and Kala were really not ready to be out on their own—either mentally or physically. So he and his sister trained hard to learn the different hunting techniques their hyena hosts taught them. Naturally Kala took more quickly to the activity, but Kiveh made sure that he was competent enough a hunter to provide at least enough food for himself and his sister. _For when we're out on our own again,_ he thought privately as they practiced. After that first month though, he felt satisfied with his progress and Kiveh excused himself from most of the hunting; finding other ways to make himself useful.

At the beginning of their stay several of the hyena clan had protested, angered at having the extra mouths of their old enemies to feed. However, as the sun rose and fell time and again, the twins helpful actions had quieted the disgruntled members into silence. Kala went out hunting nearly every day with whichever clan members were going and her growing skill had earned her their respect.

Kiveh on the other hand had no desire to go out, maybe it was in his genes to play the part of a lazy male lion that lets the females do all the hunting, but hunting lacked the appeal it had to Kala. Instead the young male spent his days around the area where most of the hyenas had their dens. His mature attitude recommended him well to the elders that spent their days resting and dreaming of the past. And though he hadn't expected it, the curious hyena pups were drawn to the golden lion—intrigued by at having someone of another species to play with. Good naturedly Kiveh put up with their enthusiasm, his creative games keeping the rambunctious youngsters busy while their parents and babysitters relaxed.

"You've gotten quite popular," Skadow mentioned one day as the lion trudged over to join her and Kala in the shade.

"Guess so," he grinned as her younger siblings bounded up, their little tongues hanging out as they panted.

"Did you see us Skadow? Didja Didja?" they yelped, crowding around the older hyena and giving Kiveh a chance to collapse onto the cool stone.

"I did," their sister answered patiently. "Why don't you go and play one more game before we head home?"

"Only one more?" Tiez, the only boy of the litter, pouted.

"Take it or leave it little bro."

"Come on," the little hyena gestured to his sisters and the miniature pack raced off.

"Thanks for watching them so much Kiv," Skadow said.

"Sure thing," he replied, relaxing so that his head rested on the cool stone. "It's the least I can do to thank you guys for letting us stay here." The three teenagers lay in silence for a minute, enjoying the shade as the savannah sun rose higher in the sky and began to heat the day.

"How about thanking us by telling a story?" Tiez suddenly appeared, jumping onto Kiveh and crawling into his growing mane.

"I thought you guys were playing a game?" he asked, cracking one eye open.

"We were but the others had to go home," the pup lamented sadly.

"Tell us a story Kiveh!" one of the girls pleaded, looking at him with pleading yellow eyes.

"Please!" the others chorused.

"But the only stories I know are about lions," he argued half-heartedly.

"That's ok! We'll still listen!" Tiez assured the lion.

"Actually…" Kiveh muttered, rolling onto his stomach with a thoughtful expression. "I think I've got a better idea than just telling you a story…"

"What is it? What is it?" the littermates asked eagerly, jumping up and down around him.

"Let me talk to Kala first," Kiveh said, sidling over and whispering in his sisters ear.

"That sounds great!" she exclaimed, and the five pups looked at each other happily, tails wagging in excitement. "And the adults would absolutely love it!…but it's going to take some planning…" the young lioness continued, frowning a little as she schemed.

"Think we can pull it off?" her brother asked.

"Let's do it!" she said, giving a quick jerk of her head to confirm.

"What you two planning?" Skadow asked warily.

"Oh we're just going to tell a story to repay your mom for the one she told us. Wanna help?" Kala grinned mischievously but Skadows eyes sparkled right back in acceptance of the challenge.

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It took almost a month of planning for the twins to prepare their idea. Over that time all the young pups in the clan always seemed to be smiling about some secret. However, whenever anyone asked the youngster what was going on, they would merely say that they were practicing to tell a story and that was all they could tell anyone. Spite and Skadow had been let in on the plan and dampened any fears that the pups were up to serious mischief, so the elder hyenas were forced to simply wait. Finally, the lion twins sent round word that tonight all the hyenas of the graveyard were requested to a attend the special telling of a story at dusk; all the pups in the clan spent the entire day in an excited fervor.

Directed by Kiveh and Spite the hyena adults trooped into a narrow gorge, uniquely split into two separate levels of rock shelves. The teenagers directed their guests to sit on the lower tier, facing away from the bright geysers that burned against the wall of the upper one. The rumble of whispered speech echoed through the stone amphitheatre, causing several of the hiding pups to poke their heads around the corner to peer down at the crowd below them.

"Stay out of sight!" Kala reminded them, giving a couple a sharp nudge with her nose. She made sure that they were all hiding in the little niche to one side of the top tier, and once confident that they were hidden again she relaxed.

"It's all set, so whenever you're ready," Kiveh told her as he padded over, Spite and Skadow on his heels.

"I think it's dark enough," Kala nodded in agreement, raising her eyebrows to ask silently if he was ready. "Think you can handle it?" she asked. Kiveh smirked back at her.

"No one will actually be watching me, so I'm not nervous," he chided, playfully rubbing shoulders with her. "You kids ready?" the young male asked, green eyes looking over the hyena pups who were dressed in strange arrays of flora and fauna.

"Yeah!" came back the chorus of eager howls and barks, several of the most excited youngsters literally shaking in excitement.

"All right then!" Kala laughed, pleased by their eagerness. "I'm sure you'll all do just fine," she added reassuringly, smiling down at Tiez and his sisters who were among the youngest. "Let's get started!" With those words the cream colored lioness bounded out into the ravine and down the stone steps to the lower tier. The crowd parted to make a path for up to the front, and Kala gracefully padded forward, finishing with a powerful leap onto the raised skull of an elephant.

"Ladies and Gentlebeasts!" she roared out, the murmur of voices dying away with her words. "Please direct your attention to the front as tonight we have a very special presentation. The story of King Mohatu performed by our very own pups from the Elephant graveyard!" Whistles and yells of encouragement split the air as Kala jumped back to the ground and the older pups took their cue. Carefully they stacked the gathered wood over the burning geysers, the dry twigs soon lighting up in a blaze of fire that shone brightly on the wall in front of the parents. Kiveh took up his position just to one side, far enough away so that the firelight wouldn't catch him and cast a shadow, but close enough to prompt the pups as needed. Several of the adults glanced back and up to see what was going on, but most were focused on the brightly lit wall before them as he began to speak,

"Many years ago the ruler of the Pride Lands was a majestic lion named Mohatu…"

Eagerly Tiez rushed out in front of the fiery geysers. He had a wreath of leaves and other plants fastened around his neck, and the shadow he threw on the blank stonewall in front of the adults more or less resembled an adult lion, complete with mane.

"Cool! A shadow play!" one of the teenagers hollered excitedly. His neighbors immediately shushed him though and the show got into full swing.

**Next chapter- The twins and pups present the story of Mohatu, will it be a big hit or a big disaster?**

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_A/N- That's it! I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to REVIEW! I hope the first part wasn't too boring but I felt like I needed to explain what happened to the hyenas after Scar died and there's a little bit of setting up for later chapters. See you soon!_


	5. The Brightest Star

_A/N- The story, The Brightest Star, is copyright disney, the summary I referenced was from Wikipedia (since most of them are identical I"m not sure where the original is!). Enjoy, sorry if it's bad, I had a harder time writing a shadow play then I thought I would (Try it sometime, it's not easy!). Enjoy, review, all that good stuff._

_The writing in _**BOLD** is Kivehs' narration.

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**Chapter 5: The Brightest Star-**

"**Many years ago the ruler of the Pride Lands was a majestic king named Mohatu,"** narrated Kiveh. Eagerly Tiez rushed out in front of the fiery geysers. He had a wreath of leaves and other plants fastened around his neck, and the shadow he threw on the blank stonewall in front of the adults more or less resembled a lion. "Rarw!" the pup howled, attempting to imitate a lionish roar.

"This is going to be good," one of the audience members whispered to another, and the show got into full swing.

**During his reign a terrible drought gripped the Pride Lands, reducing even the largest water hole to a puddle. **Kivehs voice echoed against the bare stonewalls of the canyon, carrying easily to the ears of all present. Tiez darted off stage opposite of where he entered, meeting up with Kala, who had stealthily slipped through the crowd below to rejoin the actors. Across the stage his sister Tesla shot a questioning look at Kiveh, and then padded out in front of the flickering blaze. A large femur bone was tied securely on top of her shoulders so the shaft extending up in a straight line from her neck. The neck of the bone curved at the top so the shadow reminded the watching hyenas of a giraffes long neck, the image aided by the short stilts that made the pups legs longer. Tesla bobbed her giraffe head up and down, stomping at the bare stone with her wooden platform stilts. She had been the most reluctant to join in on the play, though her eager siblings had convinced the shy pup to join them eventually.

**So king Mohatu made a law about how much water each animal could drink so that what would be left could help everyone. To the surprise of many of the animals the king said that lions were to go the watering hold last, as they could survive a relatively long time without water. **As Kiveh spoke the entire troop of actors trotted onto the stage, milling around on half of the upper tier as Tiez paraded once more into the light. Prancing back and forth the pup pretended that he was giving a speech to the other animals, their shadows an undistinguishable mass on the front wall. Several of the more ambitious and mischievous pups imitated animal noises as Kiveh paused for breath. Elephant trumpets, bird calls, and monkey howls reverberated in the canyon; some of the less successful attempts making the adults snort in laughter behind their paws while the youngsters trooped off screen.

Mohatus' law worked well and all the animals endured as the drought continued. But one day, a very selfish lion came to the water hole and drank a large amount of water. Not even needing a cue from Kiveh, Tavi bounded forward into the light. The bright flames threw a dark shadow on the wall, and peaking at it from the corner of her eye the female pup struck her best 'majestic lion' pose. Her costume was nearly identical to Tiezs' though she had insisted on putting some small white flowers into the mane so that it was 'much prettier'; even though her brother had argued that no one was going to see them anyways. As Kiveh continued his narration the young hyena pretended to drink from the watering hole, even going as far as actually sticking her tongue out though this didn't show up on the shadow wall—Kala laughed silently at the intense concentration the little female put into her acting.

**All of the other animals stood by and waited for him to finish, wondering if perhaps Mohatu had changed the law about the amount of water an animal could drink. **Three of the actor pups wandered onto the stage, standing far enough apart so that their individual shadows could be seen.

**Finally a brave antelope approached the lion, and asked if she could have a drink as well. But the lion lunged at her, causing all the watching animals to flee in fear. **One of the pups that was a bit older than the quintuplets was playing the antelope. Two fat, twisted sticks made up the horns on his head, their points sharpened for realism on the hard stone of the graveyard. Tavi had an impish grin on her face as she heard Kiveh speak her cue, and the 'lion' lunged in such convincing ferocity that the pup playing an antelope ran off the stage in actual fear.

**King Mohatu was enraged by the news, and decided that he needed a more permanent solution to the water problem. The king traveled for many miles until he came to a large river.**As the others once more padded off the stage Tiez slowly trudged across it, dragging his feet and hanging his head as though he had been traveling for miles. Kiveh took a short pause, snorting quietly and shaking his head slightly as the hyena pup milked the audience; trudging slower and slower in front of the glowing flames. Suddenly, as he turned around, Tiez threw up his head and ran forward a couple steps. He skidded to a halt, the leaves and other fauna of his 'mane' shivering with the abrupt motion. Tiez faked drinking from some source of water, then opened his mouth in a huge yawn that showed up even in his shadow. One of the other pups snickered from the shadows, companions hissing at him to be quiet. Unfortunately the sharp hisses were even louder than the snicker and several of the adults craned their heads around, looking for the disturbance. The twin lions exchanged a glance. _Well we knew it wouldn't be perfect!_ They each saw in the others eyes. Kiveh merely shrugged and continued his recitation.

**Taking a grateful drink of the cool water the lion king lay down to rest, only to hear someone crying. He began to investigate and found a large crocodile sobbing on the riverbank. **On the stage Tiez once more got to his feet as his older brother Spite wriggled over. The older hyena lay flat on his belly, worming his way across the stage while he opened and closed his mouth and the wooden planks that had been carved into vicious jaws. His little brothers' gaze drifted to the shadow wall, and for a second he froze, slightly fearful of the realistic creation.

**The reptile told the king that he was lonely and wanted some friends, but all of the other animals feared him because he once bit a hippos' tail on accident. **Kiveh watched Tiez from the corner of his eye, beginning to worry that the pup might miss his next prompt. However he needn't have worried; Spite noticed Tiezs' distraction and gave him a slight whap with his 'tail', stunning the pup back into his role. Shaking his head Tiez trotted across after his older sibling, his shadow disappearing for a moment as he stepped beyond the fiery geysers.

"Good job!" Kala whispered softly, smiling encouragingly as the youngster flashed her a cheeky grin and turned back onto the stage.

**Feeling sorry for him, Mohatu promised to help the crocodile gain the trust of the other animals. As the king left the river he bumped in a hippo who said that she would not go to the river because she was scared of the crocodile. **As Tiez paraded across the stage once more Skadow entered from the opposite end. Her shadow on the wall was extremely bulky, the palm leaves looped around her middle giving her an immense belly. It had taken a lot of convincing by the lion twins and her own siblings before Skadow had agreed to have a part in the play—and even longer when she found out she was supposed to be a fat hippo! However her appearance was brief, and the female hyena ambled offstage as Tiez continued to trot in place while the next few 'animals' cast their shadows in turn.

**Mohatu walked further from the river until he came to a wildebeest, who said that he would not go down to the river because he was scared of the hippo. **One of the little actor pups gamboled up to Tiez, two small rib bones forming the wildebeest tusks on his head. The two males paused for a moment and pretended to be discussing something-luckily their huge grins didn't show up in their shadows to counteract the narrative Kiveh was giving.

**A little further away the king came across a zebra. The zebra did not go down to the river because the wildebeest did not go.**

"Kala! Psst! Kala!" a harried voice hissed at the young lioness. Kala looked down to see Tobia at her feet, yellow eyes threatening to drown in tears. "My stripes are falling off!" the little hyena pup sobbed, struggling to keep her voice down. "I'm gonna be late!" Tobia whimpered, sniffling a little. The young hyena looked up at the lioness with such pleading eyes that Kala felt her heart nearly break.

"Don't worry, Kiveh will wait," the lioness said gently, green eyes flicking to her brother and hoping that he would realize something was amiss. Luckily Kiveh caught her glance, eyebrows raised in curiosity at the delay. Dependable like always Kala heard him adlibbing events to the crowd, something about how Mohatu spending a night under that stars that she did not recall from the original telling of the tale. Kala ignored him though, quickly tugging at the knots securing the long, straight leaves against Tobias' side; the closest semblance any of them could think of for zebra stripes. Though most of it wouldn't show up on the shadow they were hoping that the pointed tips hanging just below the hyenas belly would help with the picture. If not, the cup like pieces of wood on Tobias' feet would make a familiar clopping sound to aid the imagination.

"Finished," Kala finally whispered, giving the pup a gentle nudge. "Show them your stuff!" Worried about being late, Tobia clomped quickly out onto the stage, her 'stripes' shivering slightly with each thump of her fake hooves. Kiveh gave an almost imperceptible sigh of relief from the other side, and Kala smothered her laugh with a paw. Her brother never had been one for spontaneity, but he had covered well for the slight delay.

**As Mohatu returned to the Pride Lands he realized that all of the animals needed to trust each other so that they could all use the water from the great river. **Dramatically Tiez paused, puffing out his chest and rubbing a paw on his chin as though he was deep in thought.

"Show off!" Skadow muttered to Kala as she joined the lioness, sitting down carefully to keep from crushing that giant palm leaves around her belly.

"Oh but he was so happy to have the star role," the lioness giggled back as Tiez roared onstage.

**Mohatu called all the animals of the Pride Lands together and told them that it was now law that no animal could harm another until the drought had passed. A zebra spoke up that since a lion broke the first law that he wanted the protection of the wildebeest. But the wildebeest did not want to go because he did not trust the hippos near the river. Meanwhile the hippo said that the only animal to be feared was the crocodile. **Once again most of the pup actors were on stage, crowded on Kivehs' side while Tiez stood proudly in the middle. Kala could see Tobia right in the middle of the crowd, her stripes still on and stomping her 'hooves' for effect.

This lead to a great argument between all of the animals, and the zebra cried out that it was every animal for themselves. All of the creatures ran off towards the Great River in a massive stampede.

"Heads up!" Kala hissed to Skadow, the two teenagers scrambling out of the way as the herd of hyenas charged across the stage. Tiez let out a yell that echoed loudly in canyon, ducking and covering his head with his paws as they ran straight at him.

**The cheetah ran forward to try and overtake the giraffe and zebra, but zebra kicked cheetah in the chest. The other animals all ran over poor cheetah as they raced to try and be first at the river.** With this cue Tuma let out a fake cry of pain, jumping onto the stage as though she had been kicked into the air but landing gently on the smooth stone. The smallest pup winked at her brother as he peeked out from under his paws to see if the stampede was over. With a quick sigh of relief the young male began to wiggle his way off stage, keeping low so that he wouldn't cast a shadow when the other actors trotted out into the light again.

The zebra was the first to reach the river, but when he rushed forward to drink he became lodged in quicksand. The other animals tried to pull him out, but the zebra was firmly stuck.

"Tobia go!" Kala whispered urgently, spotting the youngster whispering with one of the other pups so she didn't hear the cue. Panic stricken the little girl galloped out onto the stage, yelping as she tripped over her fake hooves and taking a real fall instead of the fake one she had been planning.

"Ah!" Skadow gasped, instinctively taking a step forward to aid her sister.

"She's ok!" Kala whispered urgently to stop the older hyena, pointing with her nose as Tobia raised her head and looked around in shock. Instantly trying to correct her mistake the young pup tossed her head and batted her legs around to make it look like she was struggling in quicksand.

**King Mohatu finally arrived, the injured cheetah on his back. When he saw the trapped zebra Mohatu called to the crocodile for help. **Tiez struggled onstage, Tuma clinging to him with a happy grin about getting a piggyback ride.

"Are you sure you're the littlest?" Kala just barely heard him hiss to the pup riding on his back, making Tuma giggle. Unceremoniously Tiez dumped her off, striking his roaring pose once more to call Spite onstage.

**The crocodile appeared, using his strong legs to grip the riverbank and extending his long tail. The zebra grabbed the crocodile's tail and was pulled up to safety. **Spite wormed his way onstage, trying his best to look crocodileish. Grunting a little with the effort he swung his hind legs around to Tobia, dragging her out of the fake quicksand.

**Feeling bad, the zebra apologized to the cheetah for kicking him. All of the animals then drank their fill from the water, careful to avoid the dreadful quicksand. While the drought continued the animals of the Pride Lands returned to the Great River time and again for water. The crocodile was always kind to them, and no animal feared to come and drink. **Kala and Skadow watched from the sidelines as all the actors milled around aimlessly on the stage, shadows intermingling on the wall in front.

"So far so good," the hyena murmured.

"Don't jinx it," her lioness companion growled jokingly, already feeling a bit of relief that the play was almost over.

**Finally the drought ended but King Mohatu still journeyed to the river to see his many friends. Many peaceful years passed under the kings' peaceful rule until Mohatu's death one winter evening.** As Kiveh spoke the actors trickled off both sides of the stage in small groups until only Tiez was left. Ever the dramatist, Tiez struck another pose, checking from the corner of his eye that his shadow looked regal before he sunk gracefully to the ground to 'die'.

The animals of the Pride Lands grieved heavily for their king, and without his wise rule many began to fight with one another again.

"Let's go!" Tobia yelped loudly, completely forgetting that they were supposed to keep silent and charging back out onto the stage with the others at her heels. Gleefully the hyena pups leaped and snapped at each other, play fighting so that their shadows were a moving blur of chaos.

"You wrecked my head!" Tesla suddenly howled, as someone batted the makeshift giraffe neck form where it was tied on her shoulders. Fiercely the pup growled, her voice carrying over Kiveh's for a moment.

**But just when they felt that there would never be peace again a mysterious star appeared in the sky. **Kiveh broke in, raising his voice to make sure the battling pups heard the cue. It wasn't his voice though, but a high-pitched whiz, followed by a bang that silenced the mock battle. From behind the flames Spite grinned at the male lion, giving him a thumbs up as their firework burst into a flare of white light in the sky above the canyon, creating a temporary star. The audience oohed and awed dutifully, as Kiveh gave a sigh of relief and delivered his final lines.

The star was the biggest and brightest star in the sky and it gave the animals a feeling of peace and harmony so that all the fighting ceased. For they knew that the star was the spirit of their great king.

"The end!" Tiez hollered happily, trotting proudly to the edge of the upper tier to take a bow for the crowd below. The adults laughed, hollered and clapped enthusiastically for their children; and the entire theatre crew stepped forward to bow proudly for the applause.

**Next Chapter: The hyenas were not the only ones watching the shadow play, who else saw and why was he watching?**

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_A/N- Sorry this one was short, kinda writers block for how to segue into the next section and kind of exhausted after trying to make this style work. Please REVIEW! (it'll motivate me to get the next chapter up faster!)_


	6. Spread of the Empire

_A/N- I figured this was long overdue for another update. Please enjoy REVIEW (reader traffic is quite nice to figure out how many meanies are just reading a chapter without giving any feedback). And for those kind people who have been reviewing (thanks guys!) keep up the good work and I just wanted to let you know that I"m not afraid of criticism. I'm hoping to improve my writing, so give me a hand please! Enjoy!  
_

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**Chapter 6: The Spread of the Empire-**

The entire crowd was whistling and yelping excitedly as the hyena pups rushed down to their parents, eager for praise on their performance. Murmurs of admiration and shouts of congratulations echoed in the stone canyon as the twin lions looked down proudly from the upper tier.

"We did good Bro," Kala grinned smugly, playfully nudging shoulders with him.

"Yeah but those vents sure stink! Whew!" Kiveh retorted, snorting the sulfuring smelll from his nostrils. Below them Tiez and his four sisters had all tackled their father at the same time, and poor Pietz lay laughing on the ground entirely enveloped by wriggling pups yapping to catch his attention.

"Trweauuu!!" a trumpeting melody burst into the canyon, the clamoring echo nearly deafening the members of the hyena clan. Frightened by the unexpected noise the scavengers and lions spun around, dozens of pairs of eyes trying to pierce the night gloom. "Bravo! Bravo! That was an excellent performance!" a deep bass voice rolled into their ears and a gray shadow detached itself from the gloom.

"An elephant!" Tesla cried out gladly, joined quickly by the other pups.

"An elephant has come! An elephant has come!" Eagerly the young hyenas scrambled up the ramp to greet the newcomer, the rattle of gravel knocked loose by their paws drowned out by their excited chatter.

"What the heck?! What's he doing here?" Kala exclaimed, staring at the giant animal in bewilderment.

"Well it _IS_ an elephant graveyard," Kiveh muttered to his sister, who cocked her head sideways to see better. The bull elephant standing at the top of the ravine looked ancient. His once dark eyes where slightly milky and Kiveh thought he might be almost blind. The dusty grey skin hung loosely, as though the great animal had once been much larger and then shriveled inside while his hide stayed the same size. The vessels on the fan-like ears traced a tangled spider web, the membrane between them so thin that Kiveh fantasized that he might be able to see the stars through them if he looked hard enough.

"Are you here for us? Are you? Are you?" Tavis' eager bark echoed clearly through the graveyard.

"Tavi!" her mother scolded sharply, face flushing as she ascended the last few steps to the top and came face to face with the old elephant. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the larger animal, glancing sideways at her blushing daughter. "Apparently one of my children has forgotten her manners!"

"No apologies gentle mother," the tusked beast assured her, his trunk snaking around to pat Tavi on the head gently as the rest of the crowd flowed out of the canyon. "I am here to fulfill the ancient pact, and it is comforting to know that those receiving my offering are so grateful for it."

"Ancient pact?" Kala queried, padding alongside her brother to stand before the ancient elephant. "What are you talking about? …Sir?" she added the last part as an afterthought, awed by the giganticness of the animal before her. Of course she and Kiveh had seen elephants before, but never so close as this.

"The pact of death. You have not heard of this young lion?" the old male asked curiously, turning his head just slightly to focus on her with one milky eye. "It was your species that shaped the decree." The twins exchanged confused glances, two pairs of green eyes silently asking each other if they should know what the ancient one spoke of. "Apparently not," the giant rumbled quietly; not angry, just disappointed as he absently rubbed his trunk at an itch on a large ear.

"The pact of death is what brings each elephant here to die," Skadow explained, appearing next to the twins. "When they feel their time is near they make the final trek to this place, offering their body to further our own life. The lion king after Ryza made the deal when this land changed and our prey moved on."

"Correct little sister," the bull rumbled proudly. Then the giant animal cleared his throat, speaking words that had the slight flatness of those repeated time and again until they are known by rote. "I, Tuuni, come to honor the ancient agreement laid down by Teshka, the lion king. I offer to you freely all that I have to give, so the great circle of life may continue."

"We are grateful that you honor the old agreement, and give thanks for the offering of your mortal self," Pietz spoke with great severity, his words carrying the weight of an honored ritual.

"We thank you," the entire clan chorused, Kiveh and Kala joining in a heartbeat after the hyenas. Then both young and old stood before the aged elephant, heads bowed respectfully in silence.

"Tonight we stand the death watch then, to celebrate the continuation of the circle with the rising sun," Pietz concluded the ritual, he and Tuuni dipping their heads in unison to complete the ceremony. "We also offer our company for the night if you so wish," the hyena added in a informal tone.

"I would greatly appreciate that," Tuunis' voice was so deep that it seemed to hum, Kala could feel it through the stone under her paws. "Especially if it is the company of such that could portray such a lovely story," the bull commented. "I remember the great king Mohatu, and am quite pleased to see that his memory lives on."

"You knew Mohatu?" Tobia piped up, staring at the elephant openmouthed. "The REAL one?" she questioned in slightly skeptical awe. With a grunt the giant mammal settled himself to his knees, and finally his side.

"Forgive me please, I am old and the journey here has weighed heavily on my old limbs. However my mind is still quite alert." Tuuni tilted his head down to see the little hyena pups before him, gathering eagerly to know if he had really met the Mohatu they had just told the story of. "Yes little one, I am old, and have lived through many lion kings. I remember the Mohatu you all so wonderfully portrayed this evening," a small smile crept onto the ancient face, well wrinkled by time. "I survived the drought in Mohatus' time, the great battle between the leopards and Jinto's pride. And I remember too the reign of the lion king Ryza, who was forced to banish his closest friend from the land." His head drooped sadly at this statement and Tuuni curled his trunk in close at the memory. "Twas a sad day, to see the partnership of lions and hyenas crumble so fast…" he sighed heavily, the breeze from his trunk crashing into Tiez and messing up the young hyenas fur. His sisters struggled to hide their laughter as the young male hurriedly used a paw to flatten the disarranged fur, grimacing slightly at the dampness. Tuuni, oblivious to what he had done, continued, "I remember when they first came together…"

"Huh? Hyenas and lions?" Skadow asked quickly, suddenly alert to what the old elephant was saying.

"Yes, though I was very young I remember when King Ligeral gathered his army. It was he who first had lions and hyenas work together for a common goal."

"Tell us about Ligeral!" Tesla yipped excitedly.

"Yes! Tell us a story!" all the young actors chorus, swarming closer to the elephant and even crawling onto his thick legs.

"I think it's time you lot were all in bed," Siika reminder all the pups, casting a knowing glance at them all.

"Aww mom!" whined Tiez. "We're all too excited after the play though!"

"Please Mr. Tuuni," Tavi pleaded, trying a different approach. "If we are standing the deathwatch it would be a good way to spend the night…If you are well enough to tell us about King Ligeral?" She added the last part with the perfect mixture of hope, pleading and innocence as her golden eyes gazed up fondly at the elephant.

"I feel like that would be a grand way to spend my final night," he replied graciously. "Though of course I understand the importance of enough sleep for one so young as yourself," he added gravely, lifting his gaze to see if Siika would dare refuse his disquised request.

"Fine!" she relented in exasperation, receiving excited licks and yips in response. "But I only speak for my own pups!" she added hastily. The other members of the clan relented as well, realizing how wound up their own children still were from the shadow play, and knowing what a rare opportunity they had to hear Tunni's tale. When everyone was settled, and the eager pups had quit fighting for the closest spots, the ancient began his tale.

"Ligeral was the lion king many generations ago. He and I were born the same season if you care to know," Tuuni informed them proudly, his giant ears flapping slightly. "However, the deeds done during his reign were so great that we elephants have made them a part of our eulogies, and due to their importance there is quite a presentation that goes along with it." Eagerly the young pups leaned forward, nearly shaking in anticipation, and even Kiveh felt himself become enthralled. Kala smothered a giggle when she saw her twin firmly tuck his tail under a hind paw. It was a habit he had picked up as a cub, when the hyenas were still around and had nicknamed him 'worm' for the continuous twitching of his tail.

Tuuni cleared his throat once, dragging her attention back as the old elephant began stomping one foot against the ground in a steady rhythm. When he seemed satisfied that he had it correct Tuuni closed his eyes, trunk swaying back and forth with the beat. It took the young lioness a minute to realize that he was no longer stomping the ground but that she could still feel the beat somehow. The stone beneath her side seemed to hum with it, her heart beat in time and unconsciously her breathing matched the pace of story, carrying Kala forward as Tuuni began to chant.

* * *

Ligeral! Ligeral! Great king of all the beasts!  
Ligeral! Ligeral! Whom no one could defeat  
Single pawed he took upon, the angry hordes of teeth,  
crocodiles, leo-pards, he killed them all like sheep!  
But whence did this great leader come? So wise! So strong! So brave!  
Listen close that I may tell, of Ligeral the Great!

He was born to mother Safiya, under sky of blue  
and following closely at her heels, his babyhood it flew!  
One day while he was playing, young Ligeral heard a cry,  
and when he found from whom it came, he did not believe his eyes.  
A sobbing young hyena pup, with fur of gold and tan,  
the likes of which cub Ligeral had never seen firsthand.

He begged the youth, all teary eyed, to tell why he was alone  
and Ligeral cub he shook to hear, how fire destroyed a home.  
Full compassionate already, this future king he schemed  
and soon Safiya adopted Kiich, and they were brothers keen.  
Ligeral was quick and clever, while Kiich was strong and bold;  
together they shared many a laugh, teasing the lions old.

Time went on and Ligeral, he grew a handsome mane.  
His mother died and he stepped up, to be a king of fame!  
With loyal Kiich still at his side, he ruled both wise and just,  
and found a lioness that he loved (oh, it was more than lust!)  
But then one day a lion came, his small pride was in need.  
he fell before noble Ligerals' feet, "Help us King! I plead!"

His pride was in the desert near, so thin and wandering  
without dear water, precious food, their cubs were all starving.  
Feeling desperate Ligeral cried "Go now, and let them in!"  
His lionesses they raced away, brought back the drifters' kin.  
So thin were they, their bones did show, under fur of gold,  
but with the help of Ligerals' Pride, sleeker did they grow.

When it was time that they depart, several stayed behind,  
they'd fell in love with the Pride Lands dear, and Ligeral was kind.  
He let them stay and welcomed them, a smile on his face  
but it set the king to thinking and he told friend Kiich his case.  
"They chose our kingdom over home, does that not make it great?  
Shouldn't we share our luck with those out past the Pride Land gate?"

Together King and loyal friend, set down a plan to try,  
to spread the Pride Lands way of life, from earth up to the sky.  
They traveled round the kingdoms edge, close friends run side by side,  
and spread the words of peace they did, held by Ligerals Pride.  
As they journeyed on and on, many joined their cause  
behind them both lion and hyena raced forth on eager paws.

Many years they passed away, and the Pride Lands grew  
great numbers came and joined the king, embracing all he knew.  
But as more subjects followed him, greed snuck in his ear,  
the Pride Lands king gave up on peace, and built an army to fear.  
Lion and hyenas both, were ready to do the deeds  
of forcing all the lands around to follow King Ligerals' creed.

They marched from sunrise to the set, and under moon as well.  
Before their teeth and sharpened claws, a hundred kingdoms fell.  
Against their greatest enemy, King Ligeral lead the march,  
legions of carnivores followed him, all loyal through their hearts.  
Ligeral let loose a mighty roar, challenging their king.  
He hissed right back, an angry growl, forcing shy birds a-wing.

No backing down would there be today, no retreat with setting sun.  
This clash of titan king wouldn't cease, until their foes were none.  
Hyena crashed with lion proud, as Ligeral took command  
brave voiced he told them "Forward! Go! We will rule this land!"  
His loyal warriors blazed a trail, up to the rival king  
strong Ligeral followed in their wake—into that battle ring.

Two maned terrors, the kings squared off, baring sharp white teeth.  
Then into their midst sprang a lioness bold, propelled on winged feet.  
"Stop it father! This isn't right!" Ligerals daughter sang.  
Her voice was firm, her blue eyes sure, and Mira was her name.  
She addressed both rulers without fear, standing tall and proud  
while the two armies, battered and bruised, gathered all around.

Ligerals daughter pleaded her case, standing there between,  
"Why can't it be like long ago, when kind words passed between?"  
She hated to fight a lioness brave, with sharpened tooth and claw,  
"This conquering must stop!" she said, "Let the border lines be drawn!"  
All around her silence fell, the great carnivores ashamed  
who'd fought so long that they'd forgot, how peace had been their aim.

King Ligeral hung his head and cried, great tears upon his face,  
with peace as his objective he'd thought death as such a waste.  
But somewhere he'd forgotten that, begun this terrible time,  
scattered all around him lay the dead bodies from his crime.  
To bold Mira both kings bowed, their eyes shut tight in sorrow,  
they agreed to keep their peace and set kingdom lines that morrow.

And so it was the Pride Lands great, was set within its lines  
Ligeral gave the crown away, those needless deaths in mind.  
Great lion though he was, the king, could not lead his pride.  
To make war was all he'd done, though peace was what he'd tried.  
Daughter Mira watched him leave, old and broken down.  
Slow and sad, he padded away, with only footfalls sound.

Though Ligeral made a grave mistake, we revere him still,  
as a lion bold and brave, who made rival kingdoms quell  
before his might of joining minds, all set on one great thing.  
Though he failed to bring out peace, still he was our king.  
Ligeral we remember him, who knew when to give in,  
and give up crown and dreams of peace, onto a stronger kin.

* * *

Slowly, very slowly Kiveh drifted back to reality, the steady tempo of the story fading away in the night so subtly that it took him a while to register that it had vanished. He blinked green eyes in surprise to see the faint lightening of the horizon signaling the approaching dawn, and his sharp ears picked up the faint chirping of the morning birds from the nearby border. Kala shifted against his side, her fur warm against his own compared to the morning chill. Kiveh yawned noiselessly, glancing around to see that most of the clan was asleep, curled up in small groups to keep warm until the sun rose. Spite and Skadow lay next to Kala, their parents and the little puppies not far away.

"Long night huh?" his sisters' voice was a bare whisper, but it carried easily through the silence.

"Not as long as for some," he murmured back, gaze drifting over to Tuuni. The old elephants head dipped low in exhaustion, though he fought hard to keep it still and not disturb the puppy asleep in the crook of his trunk. Catching sight of the hyena pups' familiar markings Kiveh exhaled softly and got to his feet to glide over. Gently he plucked Tiez from the elephants' trunk, careful not to wake the pup as he resettled him by his sisters.

"He gives off much warmth for one so small," Tuuni surprised the young lion by speaking, his voice quiet though to keep from disturbing the early morning peace.

"I think his little motor is in overdrive," Kiveh joked. "He's got a lot of energy."

"And you young lion? Have you enough energy to complete a favor for me this morning?"

"What is it ancient one?" he replied without a trace of sarcasm. Kiveh had always felt a great respect for the elderly members of the pride, delighting in the stories they would tell him of their youth. He had learned young the right tone to take in flattering them and as he matured the small act had evolved into actual reverence.

"I need you to fetch me a sprig of the nightmare fruits, there is a plant growing a little south near the border here," Tuuni murmured, his tone steady as Kivehs jaw dropped in alarm.

"But, but!" he gasped, struggling to keep his voice down. "Those are poisonous!"

"I know young one, but that is my choice," the elephant replied steadily. Kiveh stammered for a minute, finding it hard to breath as he realized what Tuuni was asking him.

"I'll do it," a sweet offer came to his rescue. The half grown looked over his shoulder to see Kala walking up, her eyes fixed on the enormous beast before them. "Just to the south?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you sweet daughter," Tuuni wheezed slightly, slowly nodding his head in acknowledgment.

"We'll be back very soon," Kala promised, stepping forward and just brushing his sensitive trunk with her whiskers before racing off. Her twin stood frozen for a moment, suddenly breaking into a sprint to catch her.

"You can't be serious, we can't let him do this!" Kiveh growled as he caught up to Kala.

"Look," she growled right back, glaring at him but never breaking stride. "He's old, he's probably in pain and he ASKED for help. You think it's fair to tell him no we won't help?"

"But he wants…" her brother stuttered to get the words out. "To help him kill himself Kala?"

"He wants to end it on his own terms," she stated firmly, slowing down to a trot as they reached the border, gaze sweeping the surrounding area for the distinct white fruit. Kiveh pulled up sharply alongside her, letting out a growl of frustration and stomping off to look for the plant. "Why are you so ruffled?" Kala called after him, rolling her eyes slightly in exasperation before choosing to ignore her brother. _Man he's acting weird,_ the lioness thought as she prowled through the sparse brush.

"Here," Kivehs muffled shout drifted to her after a short interval. He padded over, the clump of small, snow-white berries swinging from his jaws.

"Thanks," Kala said, careful not to crush any of the fruit so she wouldn't taste the deadly juice. Without a word Kiveh headed; Kala following him, not quite aggravated enough to tell her twin to grow up and quit pouting. They padded in silence back over the border, their soft pads making little noise on the gray stone that coated most of the graveyard.

"It's cause of Dad," Kiveh startled her by speaking up. He continued trotting forward, but his head was bowed; the red strands of his mane drifting into his eyes. "Not what Tuuni wants us to do."

"What's dad got to do with it?" Kala asked, still annoyed by his earlier attitude.

"He sure didn't get to die on his own terms," her brother muttered. His voice was spiked with such bitterness that Kala stumbled, barely catching herself. Kiveh was usually the steady one, not completely emotionless, but more in control than her. "I just…I don't hate Simba but still…How is it fair… dad fights all the way to the end and still loses his life, while someone else can just go out peacefully like this? " His voice was acidic, completely out of character and making Kala stare as she struggled to keep up with his angry pace. "And they'll never honor him like Ligeral, or even thank him for anything he did! But even old Tunni's getting thanked, just for dying!" Kiveh spat the last part out, involuntarily baring his teeth in anger.

"Oh cover your canines and chill!" Kala roared, dropping her burden and jumping in front of him, forcing the golden lion to an abrupt halt. "If you'd just pay attention you'd know that isn't true!" The young male pulled back, startled, at her fierceness, but Kala didn't let up on her tirade. "And don't you dare say a word to Tuuni! It's not his fault that you took his great story badly, and I won't have you messing up his last morning!" Her glare was colder than winter and fierce determination strengthened it past the hardness of stone. "Stop and think about what you said for a while. After all," The lioness hissed once more at her brother before bending to retrieve the nightmare fruit and complete their errand, "You're supposed to be the logical one." Kiveh stood, rooted to the spot, as his sister trotted away through the gloom.

The day flitted away, old Tuuni peacefully leaving the mortal world thanks to the gentle poison of the nightmare berries. The hyena clan celebrated this continuation of the circle of life, each family gorging themselves with food left to spare. With the excess of nourishment Kala and the other hunters could relax at camp, discussing and practicing new techniques while the pups imitated them for a while before being distracted by their games. Kiveh wandered from group to group; dropping in on the older hyenas he had befriend over the past months and teaching the pups a few new games—anything to avoid being alone and thinking like his sister had suggested. However Kala caught him just as the bottom of the sun touched the horizon, dragging him off on a hike up to the highest point in the shadowlands.

"So what did you come up with?" she asked him as they walked, weaving around the scattered carcasses that coated the less lived in areas.

"Nothing," Kiveh bristled in self-defense. "It was a long night and I just wasn't thinking clearly this morning that's all. It really doesn't matter that Ligeral is honored like that and dad isn't, or that Tuuni earned the right to a peaceful death that Simba cheated Scar from."

"Liar," Kala stated, eyeing him distrustfully. "It matters to you…and to me…" The light colored lioness was quite for a moment, crawling up onto a relatively smooth boulder and scooting over so Kiveh could climb up next to her. "You're looking at this all wrong Kiv, Dad hasn't been forgotten. Haven't you been listening to anything that anyone here has said? All the hyenas are really glad he let them into the Pride Lands, even if it didn't turn out to be permanent. Because of that a lot of them realized that there's a better life out there, and since they left the ones who stayed here don't have such a hard time."

"I know, I get it," he grumbled back, refusing to look at her even though he had taken the offer to sit next to her.

"Well then what's the matter?!" Kala rumbled, claws slipping out of her paws in frustration.

"You'd never make a good psychiatrist Kal," her brother rolled his eyes, earning a tongue stuck out in his face. The young lion just grinned back, his bad temper fading. "You're way too forward."

"See if I help you again," she snorted back, glaring at him though her expersion was relieved now that he was acting normal.

"Sorry Littlely," Kiveh told her, resorting to using their mothers' pet name for her to let Kala know that he didn't mean any harm. "I know that our dad left his mark on the world…good and bad. I'm just wish it could have been something great like that chant about Ligeral. Do you realize how big that is Kala? That story's been around for generations now, it's incredible that it's still told…" the young lions voice drifted off, his green eyes sparkling from awe of such an extraordinary feat.

"Then why are you being so crabby about it?" Kala asked in confusion, the tip of her tail twitching from side to side.

"Just an off day," Kiveh muttered, his tone apologetic. "Tuunis' story kind of reminded me that there's so much we don't know. I guess I got caught up in how fast everyone forgot about dad," he dipped his head sadly, "and I was just wondering what the point of it all was…"

"Kiveh?" his sister breathed cautiously, green eyes widening fearfully.

"Don't worry about me Kal, I'm ok. I promise," he said firmly, meeting her gaze steadily. Still slightly wary the young lioness nodded anyways and Kiveh continued. "But what do you say we get out of here? There's plenty more of the world to explore, we might as well not spend it all in one place."

"I thought you'd never ask!" Kala jumped up in excitement, her mouth a wide grin. "Honestly I've been ready to go for a few weeks, but I thought we should finish up the shadow play…and I wanted to prove to you that I really am with you on this leaving the pride thing."

"What?" Kiveh asked in surprise, turning his head so fast that his mane temporarily made everything a red blur. "You didn't say anything just so I wouldn't think you were homesick or something?" His sister blushed, looking at him from the corner of her eye and nodding slightly. "Aww come on Littlely," he joked, giving her a gentle, playful punch in the shoulder. "You're always behind me, I know that. But yeah…" his green eyes roved once more across the gray landscape, "I think it's time we left."

**Next Chapter: Kiveh and Kala are out on their own again (a little wiser this time) what adventure awaits them outside the sheltered Pride Lands?**

* * *

_A/N- That's it guys! I hope you liked it, the ending was kind of strained but it was the best I could do. Please comment on anything you liked, disliked, whatever! See you next chapter!_


	7. Too much Togetherness

_A/N- Yes, I know it has been entirely too long since this story was updated. I apologize for the delay. I would really appreciate thoughtful feedback on this chapter as I had an extremely hard time writing the last argument and still don't think it is quite right. Please let me know what you think._

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* * *

Chapter 7: Too much togetherness**

Something bumped into Kivehs' muzzle, startling the half-grown lion out of sleep. His head jerked up, green eyes sparking open and flickering from one side of the horizon to another; but the sunny plains surrounding him and his sister were empty. The savannah grasses were just beginning to green now that the first rains had come, and the spindly branches of the tree above had already sent out their leaves to create a semi-shaded area where the twins napped. Kala twitched again in her sleep, a front paw slapping at the space where his nose had been.

_So that's what hit me_, the son of Scar thought sleepily, licking his lips as he woke more fully. His sister whimpered in her sleep, jerking a little and striking out with her paw for a third. One lip rose a little, revealing the sharp, yellow canine below.

"Hey Littlely," Kiveh murmured, nudging her shoulder with a front paw. "Wake up, you're dreaming." The young lionesses eyes flew open at his touch, their sharp green fearful until she recognized her twin. Then Kala sighed in relief, rolling onto her stomach and taking a look around. "Nightmare?" her brother asked curiously, careful not to seem too pushy and make her mad. The twins had been at each others throats recently from spending nearly three months of one on one time as they wandered slowly across the savannah.

"No…" Kala responded slowly. Then the creamy lioness seemed to rethink her answer, grimacing and letting out a breath. "I just didn't like that…desert we've been wandering around in. I was dreaming I couldn't get out," Kala shivered a little, though she grinned cheekily at her brother in an attempt to appear at ease. However her eyes shifted uneasily back to the north from where they had come.

"Yeah, that wasn't real fun," Kiveh concurred, irritably scratching at his thin mane with a hind leg even though all the itchy sand that had lodged in the red hair was long gone. After leaving the elephant graveyard they had followed the sun on its arced path across the sky, keeping just outside the border of the Pride Lands since the hunting was still good. However they had not even traveled a full day before the bare stone of hyena territory had been eradicated by a lifeless zone of white sand.

Years ago a lightning strike fire had severely burnt the land of the border here. Kiveh could still remember the thick smoke rising on the horizon, listening as the adult lionesses assured one another that it would die out before reaching Pride Rock. His mother had just been herding him and Kala into the cavern to avoid the ash falling from the air when his sister had gasped and pointed fearfully in the direction of the blaze. Scar and Nuka had emerged from the darkness, the aging red king supporting his badly burned son. Their friend had never been the same after getting caught in the fire, it seemed as though the fire had ruined more than his mane.

The lightning strike had done more then change Nuka though—it had altered the very land of the savannah. Without any living vegetation to capture it the nearby sand had blown in on the winds, mixing with the ashes of the fire to create a thin, white layer on the ground. The bright sand had nearly blinded him and Kala as they had traveled, and the amount that got into their pelts had been unbelievable.

"And don't call me Littlely!" Kala suddenly hissed, pulling Kiveh back from memory lane. "You're not mom!"

"No, but I am bigger than you!" he boasted, unable to resist the jibe. Irritably his sister snarled, turning sharply and pacing past him. The male grinned triumphantly, just as Kala swatted both hind legs out from under him. Kiveh grunted harshly as he landed on the stony soil, the breath thoroughly knocked out of him.

"I don't know why I hang out with you sometimes," Kala grumbled as she walked out into the sun, though the tip of her tail swung from side to side with triumph.

"Well you can get your own lunch then!" Kiveh shouted after her as soon as air refilled his lungs. Getting to his feet and wincing a little bit as his new bruises twinged—Kala had made him fall hard!

"Fine!" she shouted back over her shoulder, continuing her trek onward. "At least I won't miss the first five times because someone can't keep their wormy tail still!"

"I'm not a worm!" Kiveh half-roared, forcing it down to a growl as Kala slipped out of sight. The gold lion flopped back down in anger, wincing as his abused muscles protested the impact._ No one calls me a worm anymore,_ he hissed mentally, forcibly pushing away memories of the taunting hyenas who had given him the hated nickname. Then the young male let out a loud sigh.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he muttered, staring crossly across the short grass. _That little squabble was worth it,_ sarcasm dripped heavily in his tone. _Old enough to know better, too young to care,_ Kiveh sighed as he mentally recited one of his mothers' favorite quotes. Apparently at two and half years old he and Kala still fit the old saying perfectly. _Too much time with just the two of us,_ the adolescent let out another rumbling sigh, glaring out at the horizon of white sand and doing his best not to fume on about how annoying his sister was.

* * *

"Brothers are so stupid," Kala grumbled as she stalked over the rocky terrain. Practice and endless repetition of drill eventually quieted her paw steps though; even angry she had to consciously think about making the noise that had been programmed out of her by hunting lessons. A dozing oryx snorted in surprise as the young lioness almost stepped on it, appearing suddenly from around a boulder. Horns swept up instinctively in a jab as it stumbled to its feet. Kala jerked her head back in shock but she was too close, getting socked in the jaw by the hard head of the herbivore.

"Yow!" She hollered involuntarily, the sharp pain sending a blaze of red across the back of her eyelids. The frightened oryx bleated alarm as it bounded away, Kala thought about going after it for a moment, but her pulsing jaw just made her more crabby than hungry.

"What a great day," the young lioness snorted sarcastically, tenderly touching her banged jaw. Her face was set in a solid pout as she crouched and leaped on top of the boulder the Oryx had been sheltering by, settling down on the sun warmed stone. "I'm not so sure this adventuring stuff is worth all the hassle," Kala muttered, discretely checking that her twin was still where she'd left him. "Way too many bruises, and way too much brother sister bonding time" she complained to herself, examining the landscape. To the north was the white ash desert, the extreme tip of Pride Rock just visible. Though if Kala hadn't known what it was she could never have identified the peak of home it was so far away. The shadowlands were a smudge of darkness to the east, fading into the mountain peaks that swung in a half circle southward until they disappeared in the haze of distance. The twins were currently in a thin band of scraggly savannah, sandwiched between the talus fields at the mountains base and the spreading desert.

"Ugh," Kala griped to herself, idly batting at a loose stone with a paw. "I don't wanna hunt…but I'm hungry." Snorting in irritation the young lioness sent the small rock spinning, the skating, scratching noise flooding her ears before it tipped off the edge.

"Hurrhh!" a sudden, sharp growl of anger split the momentary silence.

"What the?" Kala jumped in surprise, half-rising to her feet as the snarling grew louder. A blunt nose poked over the low boulder, the white blaze a startling contrast to the brown-black fur on both sides of the face. "Badger!" the lioness yelped in surprise as the fierce little carnivore scrambled its way onto her perch.

_I must have hit it with the rock!_ She just had time to think, instinctively rolling away from the slashing claws. Normally a badger wouldn't attack a lion, but they were extremely territorial and ferocious when provoked and this one was a big, full-grown male.

"Kiveh!" the lioness just had time to yelp as she slid right off the boulder to avoid the snapping teeth. "Oof," Kala grunted, landing awkwardly on the ground below. Instantly the badgers blazed face appeared once more above her, fangs bared. With a hiss it swung a forelimb straight at her head. The lioness ducked away from the blow, the claws slicing her ear and forehead instead of the eyes. "Yeow!" Kala howled in agony, lightning hot flashes of pain blinding her eyes.

By pure instinct she lashed out, her front paw connecting with the attacking badger and knocking it off the rock. Hissing and spitting in fury both carnivores got to their feet, squaring off. Blood seeped into Kalas' fur and clouded her vision in one eye. One of her ankles felt tender, probably twisted in the fall but the young lioness refused to back off. The honey badger lumbered forward aggressively, growling a warning that Kala shot back, trying to hide the pain in her paw.

A gold and red blur suddenly crashed into the badger, sending the black and white animal flying. "Leave my sis alone!" Kiveh growled ferociously, baring his teeth warningly. Shaking its head the badger got back to its feet, eyes tinged red in anger. Kala took a limping step forward to stand beside her twin, the two of them baring their canines at the smaller predator. The black and white striped carnivore hissed once more, though he took a tentative step backwards. No matter how angry he was, the badger wasn't up to fighting two fierce lions. With a final snort of discontent the disgruntled animal turned and lumbered off as though the twins weren't worth his time.

"You ok?" Kiveh panted, twisting his neck to check on her. The adrenaline from the surprise seemed to suddenly disappear and Kala felt like the world was spinning. Fighting back the urge to be sick, she closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths—then the pain set in. Her head felt like it was on fire, and the blood pumping from her head wound had gummed up her right eye so it wouldn't open.

"Ow, eeh," Kala whimpered, tears leaking from her tightly shut eyes as pressed a paw to her forehead to try and halt the pain.

"Let me see," Kiveh ordered gently, softly he pulled her paw away from the wound. He winced at the amount of blood, vaguely realizing he was telling his sobbing sister that head wounds bled a lot. Steadily he licked the slash clean, spitting out the dirt and debris that had been lodged there. "There," the golden male said finally, rubbing cheeks with his sister once more before stepping back.

"Is it bad?" Kala hiccupped, barely keeping fresh tears in check.

"It's…" her twin began, eyeing the wound critically. The honey badger had hit her just to the side of dead-center on the head, leaving two claw tracks that traveled from her forehead to just behind her eyes. The other two claws, however, had connected with her right ear, cleanly separating the top third from the skull. The result was a drooping ear that made his sister look very sad, which she definitely was right now.

"It's what?" the young lioness breathed fearfully.

"It's a bloody mess but clean at least now," Kiveh finally told her truthfully, inwardly wincing about how she would react when she finally saw the damage for herself.

"Everything sounds funny," Kala replied slowly, cautiously reaching up to touch the side of her head.

"Don't touch it," her brother ordered gently. "It might start bleeding again." The young lioness ignored him, looking the other direction where the badger had lumbered off and gently prodding the wound on her head. "Kala?" Kiveh asked quietly, watching her with growing nervousness. Kala kept her gaze turned away from his. "Sis?" he repeated in the same tone, green eyes widening slightly. "Can ya hear me?"

"I guess it'll be ok," Kala replied, taking the paw from her head and noticing that the bleeding was already dying down. "Though it sure stings like anything!" She turned to face her brother, forcing a half-smile that died away as soon as she saw his expression. "Kiveh?" the creamy lioness questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you hear me?" the male twin whispered fearfully.

"Hear you?" Kala looked at him in confusion. "Did you say something?"

"You really…" the gold lion whispered, suddenly jumping to his feet and padding over to her. "No keep looking that way," he ordered as Kala turned her head to follow him. Confused but obedient she stared straight ahead, waiting impatiently. She felt hot breath on her neck and moodily pushed her brother away.

"What're you doing?" she rumbled irritably, turning to stare at him.

"You didn't hear me?" Kiveh asked in disbelief.

"You didn't say anything," Kala grumbled back, "Now quit breathing on my neck!"

"I said your name, and I called you Littlely," her twin spoke solidly, gaze focused on his sisters shocked face.

"What," Kala whispered, shaking her head as though to knock the idea away.

"Look at me," Kiveh told his sister firmly. The half-grown lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. "Turn your head so your ear's toward me, but keep your eyes on my mouth." Kala did as she was told, watching her twin out of the corner of her eye. Kiveh's mouth moved but the young lioness caught only the faintest whisper of sound in her other ear.

"Were you…were you whispering?" she asked faintly, making sure to turn her head so both ears were aimed at Kiveh. The young male shook his head, and Kala gulped. _I can't…I can't hear,_ she forced herself to admit. The next breath she drew caught in her throat and the lioness struggled to swallow it down into her lungs.

_What am I going to do now?_ Unbidden tears sprang from her eyes, rolling swiftly down the light colored cheeks. Kiveh came over, comfortingly rubbing up against her, rubbing his face on her neck so that Kala could bury her face in his mane.

"It's ok," he murmured in her good ear. "It'll be ok. I'll watch out for you."

* * *

Night came strangely to the thin band of savannah. The sun disappeared early behind the mountains, creating jagged shadows that turned the land into a dusk landscape while the sky above was still blue. As it grew darker the giant rock talus fields continued to radiate heat they'd collected from the sun, and the twins took full advantage of the warmth.

"What a day," Kiveh yawned, stretching without getting up.

"Uh huh," his sister agreed, lying nearby with her head on her front paws.

"How's the ear?" her twin asked, cracking one eye open.

"Functioning," Kala replied, gently touching the folded appendage. "I can hear you now…lucky me," she added the last part jokingly. Apparently there had just been blood and dirt blocking the ear canal, Kiveh had helped her clean out the cut with water from a small pond. Though her left ear still drooped down she could hear fine with it, and Kala was quite happy to live with a curled ear so long as she could still hunt. "Kiveh?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah?" he yawned again, slumping happily on warm rock.

"Thanks," his sister whispered sincerely. The rapidly, as though if she hesitated the words wouldn't come, "And I'm sorry I was mean to you this morning."

"You're actually apologizing?" the young male looked up in surprise. "Well that's a first," he teased, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Hey!" Kala retorted, flushing slightly in embarrassment but glad to be on good terms again with her brother. Playfully the two slapped at one another with their front paws, too lazy to get up and actually wrestle.

"Ow!" Kala yelped as she accidentally hit her own ear and winced.

"Do you wanna go back?" Kiveh suddenly asked, fixing unexpectedly serious eyes on his sister.

"Back? Back where?" she asked in confusion.

"Home," he replied. Memories of Pride Rock hit Kala like a wave on the shore. The rustle of the acacia trees where the lionesses always took their mid-day nap to escape the hot sun, the familiar, smoothed stone ramp that led up to prides cavern. Once more she heard the comforting sleep sounds of the pride; Sarabis' familiar rumble and her mothers whistling breath. For a moment Kala closed her eyes, focusing on the memory of her mothers' scent, so easily remembered that she could almost imagine Sarafina was there beside her. Then a gentle breeze hit her whiskers and the young lioness was back with her brother; the two of them alone on the scruffy savannah. Kala rolled onto her back without answering Kiveh, gazing up at the emerging stars. Her brother was still silent, watching her silently out of the corner of his eye before rolling over to join her stargazing.

"We really should go back." Kiveh half-sighed, half-growled in frustration. "I'm a male, I've got to leave the pride at some point, but you…you belong in the pride with mom and the others."

"And let you wander out here on your own? Come on," Kala rolled her eyes. "Maybe if Mheetu had still been around it would have been different but since you're brother-less I guess you'll just have to deal with me!" The young lioness shot a cheeky grin at her brother as he mimed getting stabbed in the heart. However she could see that he was still thinking about his earlier words.

"You're serious aren't you? About going back?" Kala questioned, rolling over and smacking Kiveh lightly with a paw when he nodded yes. "No brother of mine quits that easy," she growled softly in anger. "Just cause of one little accident you wimp out…"

"You could have died!" Kiveh broke in, glaring at her.

"The same thing could happen in the Pride Lands," Kala shot back, glaring right back. Her brother looked away, unable to formulate a come-back.

"Forget I mentioned it," the male finally growled out. In an attempt to shift the topic he pointed to a bright star that seemed to hover right in the middle of the horizon. "There's Mohatus' star…which ones do you think are Ryza and Ligeral?"

"I dunno," his sister replied, twisting her neck around to take in the spiraling lights. "There's so many."

"Do you think dad's up there?" Kiveh asked, as he swung his gaze round the sky, now in full night and blazing with bright stars.

"Dad? I hope so," Kala responded honestly, though there was a slight quaver of doubt.

"He didn't do everything wrong with his life," her twin whimpered in frustration, looking up with damp eyes. "What about us? Remember how proud the whole pride was when we caught that little impala? He was the one who told the hyenas to back off so we could try. The lionesses never even thought about that side of dad after Simba came back…." His voice trailed off as it became hoarse from stifled anger and frustration.

"No," Kala agreed gently, her tone calm. "They forgot that his legacy wasn't just the herds disappearing and the hyenas over running the land…his legacy…" the young female repeated, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Kiveh that's it!" The creamy lioness jumped up in excitement, green eyes bright with starlight. "Dad's legacy, that's us!"

"Umm, yeah…I guess you could put it that way?" her brother responded nervously, eyeing Kala suspiciously. "Am I missing something here?"

"Well you know how everyone always talks about how great a king Simba is, just like his father," his twin spoke excitedly, shifting from one paw to another.

"Yeah?"

"Well just like that too Kiveh! Mufasa didn't really do anything super great, but he was a good dad to Simba and because Simba's such a good king everyone gives Mufasa some of the glory too."

"Ok…." The gold male questioned, still looking at his sister in utter confusion as she paced.

"Our dad was a prince too Kiveh," Kala explained, face bright with excitement. "From the line of kings. Kings like Ligeral, Mohatu, Ryza, all those guys we've heard about lately!"

"I still don't get it," the lion admitted, wondering if maybe his sister was suffering from sunstroke or maybe the honey badger had hit her harder than they'd thought.

"Look," Kala continued, sitting down in front of him, her tail swishing against the smooth rock surface. "All those kings made mistakes right? Ryza fought against his best friend, Mohatu's first idea to ration the water didn't work, and Ligeral…come on! Ligeral built an entire army because he thought his way was the only way to live!" Kala was nearly vibrating with excitement and Kiveh felt a little bit of it rubbing off on her.

"Ok…but what does that have to do with us?"

"Ahh, you're so slow some times!" Kala sighed in frustration, though there was no real menace in her tone. "We're a part of that royal bloodline too! The same blood that flows through Mufasa and Simba, that's in our veins too!" Her green eyes were huge in excitement, catching the moon and starlight so vibrantly that Kiveh had the random thought that two fireflies had replaced her vision.

"That's how we can repair dad's legacy, by reminding everyone that he was as good king too. Because of us, because of the good things he left behind." Kala continued breathlessly. "All those kings in the past, they all made mistakes but they did what they thought was best. Yeah dad might have done a better job," she admitted, mouth twitching just a small bit. "But he was still a prince and then a king, we can remind everyone about that! About the great bloodline that he and Mufasa BOTH came from!"

"Wow," was all that Kiveh could manage to get out, staring awestruck at his sister. "How long have you been thinking about this?" Kala shrugged.

"It just all the sudden clicked," she admitted. "I remember being bothered when we heard the story about Ligeral, remember how it was his daughter Mira that stopped the big fight between him and the other king?"

"Umm, I guess so," Kiveh admitted, though he didn't sound to sure of himself. His twin sent a skeptical glare his way. "Hey!" the young male protested in his defense. "You always were better at remembering names than me!"

"Whatever," Kala brushed it off and continued. "Anyways it was a lioness named Mira who was queen during that story we heard about Ryza from the hyenas."

"You think it was the same lioness?" Kiveh spoke up, finally putting it all together and sitting up in excitement.

"It's not that common of a name, at least around here," his sister said.

"And the time period's right…" Kiveh muttered, frowning as he thought. "If the alliance of hyenas and lions lasted for a really long time I'm sure more people would remember, but one or two generations….hmmm."

"We could go and put it all together Kiveh!" Kala said excitedly. "We could track down all the kings of the past! Even just a single story like the one about Ligeral shows that dad wasn't the only one to try and make peace between everyone. Or Mohatu's story, about the drought, we could remind everyone about that and how things like that happened sometimes, even to good kings! Think about it, bro! We could clear dad's name, show everyone that he wasn't the only one who ran into bad luck while he was king!"

"Tracking down our bloodline and legacy huh?" Kiveh murmured, raising on eyebrow skeptically.

"Uh huh," Kala nodded exaggeratedly.

"Just one question, where the heck do we start?"

_

* * *

A/N- Just some brief credit. The short 'story' about Scar, Nuka and the fire was inspired by Nuka's Fear, a story on this site by Agent Ninety-Nine. It's a good little fic, if a bit old, and I'd recommend reading it. I hope you enjoyed and I welcome any criticism on the final dialouge between Kiveh and Kala as well as any other portions. Thanks for reading!_


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